# Accident 20110703013639A: Schweizer 269C, Fulshear, TX, July 3, 2011

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 3, 2011, 12:15 local time
- Place: Fulshear, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.7272° N, 95.8997° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.7272&lon=-95.8997&mi=10
- Aircraft: N72DC, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N72DC-2016-05-23) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Schweizer 269C (registry code 8059502, https://openairdocs.org/model/schweizer-269c) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming HIO-360 series (registry code 41524, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-hio-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SCHWEIZER 269C
- Reported engine: LYCOMING HIO-360 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 337 total, 215 in this make and model, 130 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN11CA442](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11CA442) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110703013639A

## Narrative

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

AT APPROXIMATELY 1215 CDT, AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND IN A RICE FIELD 5.5 MILES NW OF COVEY TRAILS AIRPORT (X09). PILOT STATES THAT HE WAS PERFORMING AERIAL RICE POLLINATION BY FLYING 2-3 FEET ABOVE THE RICE AROUND 20 KTS, UP & DOWN THE FIELDS. AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR INTO THE FLIGHT, PILOTS STATES THAT HE NOTICED THE MAIN ROTOR RPM WAS LOW AND THAT THE AIRCRAFT HAD DESCENDED SLIGHTLY. UNABLE TO CORRECT QUICKLY ENOUGH, THE HELICOPTER SKIDS GOT CAUGHT UP IN THE VEGETATION CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO ROLL FORWARD AND STRIKE THE GROUND. AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE - MAIN ROTOR MAST, MAIN ROTOR BLADES, TAIL BOOM & TAIL ROTOR BLADES ALL SEPARATED THE AIRCRAFT. PILOT EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO INJURIES.

## 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 CEN11CA442](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN11CA442), Jul 3, 2011: Schweizer 269C (N72DC), Katy, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate rotor rpm during a low-altitude maneuvering flight.

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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