- Date
- July 12, 2007, 07:11 local (11:11 UTC)
- Place
- Immokalee, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N61447Schweizer 269C-1
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Miami FSDO-19
- FAA report
- 20070712018059A
- Case key
- 66194
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot left the helicopter unattended with the engine operating which resulted in an inadvertent rollover.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he conducted the preflight checks of his helicopter and everything checked out fine. He started the helicopter and everything was "normal". He picked the helicopter up to a hover and taxied over to the airport's fuel pumps. The pilot brought the rpm back to 1,800 rpm, and put the friction on the cyclic and collective. The pilot stated that his passenger was sitting on the left hand side, and before he got out of the helicopter he asked him not to touch the controls. The pilot proceeded over to the fuel credit card system when he heard a noise. He looked behind him and the helicopter was rolling over on its side. The helicopter hit the ground and the engine stopped. The pilot asked the passenger to switch off the master switch, and then he helped him out of the helicopter. The pilot stated that he would not "Hot Refuel" on his own in the future. The airport manager reported that the pilot has been told many times that "Hot Refueling" was prohibited at this airport. In the airport operation instruction manual section 4.02 Fueling Operations (a.1) states: "No aircraft shall be fueled or de-fueled while one or more of its engines are running or the aircraft is being warmed by external heat".
Factual narrative
The pilot stated that he conducted the preflight checks of his helicopter and everything checked out fine. He started the helicopter and everything was "normal". He picked the helicopter up to a hover and taxied over to the airport's fuel pumps. The pilot brought the rpm back to 1,800 rpm, and put the friction on the cyclic and collective. The pilot stated that his passenger was sitting on the left hand side, and before he got out of the helicopter he asked him not to touch the controls. The pilot proceeded over to the fuel credit card system when he heard a noise. He looked behind him and the helicopter was rolling over on its side. The helicopter hit the ground and the engine stopped. The pilot asked the passenger to switch off the master switch, and then he helped him out of the helicopter. The pilot stated that he would not "Hot Refuel" on his own in the future.
The airport manager reported that the pilot has been told many times that "Hot Refueling" was prohibited at this airport. In the airport operation instruction manual section 4.02 Fueling Operations (a.1) states: "No aircraft shall be fueled or de-fueled while one or more of its engines are running or the aircraft is being warmed by external heat".
Aircraft
- Registration
- N61447
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0007
- Airframe hours
- 7.6
- Engine
- Lycoming HO-360-C1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Jarlath P O'Brien, doing business as O'Brien Helicopters Incorporated
- Registered owner
- O'Brien Helicopters Incorporated
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 1, 2007 · 3,285.6 hours before
- Departed
- IMM · Immokalee, FL
- Destination
- IMM · Immokalee, FL
- Airport
- IMM · Immokalee
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 1, 2007
- Flight hours
- 6,100 total · 15 in this make and model · 5,900 as pilot in command · 56 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- KRSW, 20 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.