- Date
- July 10, 2023, 10:35 local (14:35 UTC)
- Place
- Titusville, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N21409Schweizer 269C-1
- Defining event
- Standing: Loss of control on ground
- 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-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20230710009279A
- Case key
- 192618
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 failure to maintain helicopter control while on the ground when his attention was diverted for post flight activities.
Findings · 1
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
After completion of a local solo flight, the student pilot was conducting the engine cooling shutdown procedure on the dry ramp when the helicopter suddenly became airborne, climbed about 30ft, and entered a nose down attitude impacting the ground. The helicopter came to rest upright, and the pilot was able to egress from the helicopter without further incident. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor system, the tail boom, and the tail rotor system. The student pilot reported that he had engaged both the cyclic and collective friction prior to completing other post flight activities. Postaccident examination of the helicopter showed the collective friction to not be fully engaged. The friction was found at an approximate 90-degree angle to the collective lever, which corresponds to the friction not being fully engaged. The helicopter pilot’s flight manual states that the collective friction is to be on for the engine cooling shutdown procedure. No preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal flight operation were reported.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N21409
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0365
- Built
- 2009
- Airframe hours
- 4,947
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-G1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- US Aviation Training Solutions
- Registered owner
- US Aviation Training Solutions
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- January 13, 2023
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- TIX · Space Coast Regional Airport
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 27
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 16, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 36 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KTIX
- METAR
- KTIX 101447Z 24009KT 7SM SCT028 33/24 A3002
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 5, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.2 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.