# Incident 20010621013419I: Hughes 269C, Mesa, AZ, June 21, 2001

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 21, 2001, 14:40 local time
- Place: Mesa, AZ
- Airport: Falcon Field Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Autorot Descent (Rotorcraft)
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.4500° N, 111.7167° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4500&lon=-111.7167&mi=10
- Aircraft: N891CP (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: HUGHES 269C
- Reported engine: LYC HIO360D1A
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 1,900 total, 400 in this make and model, 175 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX01LA216](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA216) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20010621013419I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) DURING AN INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, THE PIC WAS DEMONSTRATING A NORMAL APPROACH FOR LANDING. AT APPROX 200 FT (AGL) THE ENGINE "AFTERFIRED".  WITHOUT ATTEMPTING TO ROLL-ON THROTTLE, THE PIC SPLIT THE TACH NEEDLES AND ENTERED AUTOROTATION.  A SUBSEQUENT HARD LANDING CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE HELICOPTER. THERE WERE NO PERSONAL INJURIES OR FIRE.  FURTHER INVESTIGAT ION, INCLUDING A SUCCESSFUL ENGINE RUN, REVEALED NO OBVIOUS MECHANICAL PROBLEMS AT THIS TIME.                                                         (.19) ON JUNE 21, 2001, AT 1440 HOURS MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A SCHWEIZER 269C, N891CP, LANDED HARD ON THE HELIPAD AT FALCON FIELD AIRPORT, MESA, ARIZONA. THE HELICOPTER, OPERATED UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CFR PART 91, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE TAIL BOOM. THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) AND STUDENT PILOT WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL AREA INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, AND A FLIGHT PLAN HAD NOT BEEN FILED. THE FLIGHT DEPARTED FALCON FIELD AT AN UNKNOWN TIME AND WAS SCHEDULED TO TERMINATE AT THE AIRPORT.  ACCORDING TO THE CFI, THE ENGINE FAILED DURING LANDING AND THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX01LA216](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX01LA216), Jun 21, 2001: Schweizer 269C (N891CP), Mesa, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: a loss of power for unexplained reasons. Also causal was the CFI's operation of the helicopter in a region of the height/velocity curve where a successful autorotation could not be accomplished. A…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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