- Date
- June 15, 2011, 14:50 local (19:50 UTC)
- Place
- Grand Forks, ND
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N2077ESchweizer 269C
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 1, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FAR-FSDO, NTSB
- Case key
- 80797
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 student pilot's inadequate recovery from an autorotation and the CFI's delayed remedial action.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student were performing a simulated forced landing which was to terminate with power. The student flared about 50 feet above the ground while the CFI monitored the rotor and engine rpm. The student used the collective to reduce the forward speed and rate of descent, and the engine rpm was increased to recover from the autorotation. The CFI reported that the helicopter was slightly tail-low, and it yawed slightly as the power was increased. The CFI took over the controls to level the skids and straighten the heading as the helicopter continued to sink. The helicopter continued to descend making a “light touch down” and run-on landing. The CFI reported that during the level-off and ground contact, they heard a metal-on-metal type of sound. A postaccident inspection of the helicopter revealed two of the main rotor blades had contacted the tailboom.
Factual narrative
On June 15, 2011, at 1450 central daylight time, a Schweizer 269C, N2077E, operated by the University of North Dakota, sustained substantial damage to the tailboom while recovering from a practice autorotation in Grand Forks, North Dakota. The certified flight instructor and the student pilot were not injured. The 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight was operating in visual meteorological conditions without a flight plan. The local flight originated from the Grand Forks International Airport (GFK), Grand Forks, North Dakota, at 1430. The flight instructor and student were performing a simulated forced landing which was to terminate with power when the accident occurred. The student lowered the collective to enter the autorotation and set the trim and pitch to maintain the recommended airspeed. The instructor adjusted the collective during the autorotation in order to prevent an overspeed and the student began the flare at an altitude of about 50 feet above the ground. The instructor stated the rotor revolutions per minute (rpm) were within the green arc and the engine was at 2,600 rpm. The student used the collective to reduce the forward speed and rate of descent. The engine power was then increased to recover from the autorotation and the instructor noted the engine rpm needle moving up through 3,000 rpm. The instructor reported the helicopter was slightly tail low and it yawed slightly as the power was increased. The instructor took over the controls to level the skids and straighten the heading as the helicopter continued to sink. The helicopter continued to descend making a “light touch down” and run-on landing. The instructor reported that during the level-off and ground contact, they heard a metal on metal type sound. Postaccident inspection of the helicopter revealed two of the main rotor blades had contacted the tailboom. The helicopter was equipped with a Appareo RMS-2000 flight data recorder. The data downloaded from the recorder is included in the docket for this report.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2077E
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1844
- Airframe hours
- 4,453
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- University Of North Dakota
- Registered owner
- University Of North Dakota
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 25, 2011 · 24 hours before
- Departed
- Grand Forks, ND
- Destination
- Grand Forks, ND
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 40
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 26, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 520 total · 221 in this make and model · 374 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 45 total · 45 in this make and model · 2 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 0° at 0 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,900 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.61 inHg
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 25, 2011, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.4 MB in all.