CEN25LA107

The pilot reported that all pre-flight and pre-takeoff checks were satisfactory with no deficiencies noted. He proceeded to take off and when he was about ½ mile away from his departure point, at 200 ft above the ground, the helicopter’s engine suddenly lost all power. The pilot entered an autorotation and during the forced landing to a pasture, the skid caught the uneven ground and snapped. The helicopter rolled forward and came to rest inverted. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, fuselage, and tailboom. A postaccident examination of the fuel system revealed fuel in the fuel tank and no evidence of fuel blockage or fuel leak. The engine was run on the airframe with the existing fuel system and fuel present in the fuel tank. The engine started and ran for several minutes. No mechanical anomalies were noted that would have precluded normal operations of the engine. Investigators were unable to determine the reason for the loss of engine power.

On February 28, 2025, about 1600 central standard time, a Schweizer 269C-1 helicopter was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Alvord, Texas. The pilot was not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that the preflight inspection, start-up, and warm-up were normal with no problems noted. He said that he lifted the helicopter off the ground into a hover and everything was still normal. He then proceeded with a takeoff which continued for about 3,000 ft while accelerating and gaining altitude. He then made a left turn toward his intended destination. Just as he completed the turn, the engine stopped producing all power without warning. The helicopter was about 200 ft. above ground level (agl) and at 40 kts when the power loss occurred. He entered an autorotation and during the flare from the autorotation to a pasture, the skid caught the uneven ground and snapped. The helicopter rolled forward and came to rest inverted. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, fuselage, and tailboom. Postaccident examination was conducted which included running the engine on the airframe using fuel that remained in the helicopter’s fuel tank. The postaccident examination of the fuel system revealed fuel in the fuel tank and no evidence of fuel blockage or fuel leaks. The drive belts were not engaged for the engine test run to prevent rotation of the rotor system. The engine started normally, and the engine was allowed to warm up. Throttle application was smooth but limited since the engine had no load applied to it. During the engine run, no anomalies were noted that would have prevented normal operation.