- Date
- June 21, 2020, 08:15 local (13:15 UTC)
- Place
- Sheffield, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N298THSchweizer 269C
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20200621005859A
- Case key
- 101469
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's failure to maintain adequate clearance from a fence while hovering.
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 pilot reported that he was hovering low to the ground, near a fence line, inspecting water and grass on his property. The helicopter drifted during the hover and right skid struck the fence. The helicopter rolled to the right and impacted the terrain, resulting in substantial damage to main rotor blades, main rotor drive system, windshield, and door post.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N298TH
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C (Undesignat)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1758
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 1,440.3
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 29, 2020 · 14 hours before
- Departed
- PVT · Sheffield, TX
- Destination
- PVT · Sheffield, TX
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 9, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.1 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.