- Date
- September 13, 2007, 15:58 local (20:58 UTC)
- Place
- Minneapolis, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N269HBSchweizer 300 CBI
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Minneapolis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070913021859A
- Case key
- 66808
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 dual student's improper flare during the simulated autorotation, and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
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 helicopter was damaged during an attempted simulated autorotation with power recovery. The flight instructor and the student pilot were on an instructional flight to practice straight and level, normal approaches and simulated forced landings. The instructor reported that the student completed two successful approaches and one successful autorotation with power recovery. The instructor stated that on the last autorotation the student maintained speed and initiated the flare and held it until the instructor felt the aircraft was too low to hold. The instructor reported taking the controls and pushing the cyclic forward at the same time as the student pilot began to push forward. The instructor reported feeling the impact of the tail rotor and boom, then the aircraft yawed to the right. The instructor stated that the throttle was already closed to idle so the instructor "held the cyclic for a level attitude and prepared to cushion the landing with the collective. [The helicopter] spun around approximately another 390 degrees to the right before the helicopter impacted the runway on the skids collapsing the left side of the landing gear."
Factual narrative
The helicopter was damaged during an attempted simulated autorotation with power recovery. The flight instructor and the student pilot were on an instructional flight to practice straight and level, normal approaches and simulated forced landings. The instructor reported that the student completed two successful approaches and one successful autorotation with power recovery. The instructor stated that on the last autorotation the student maintained speed and initiated the flare and held it until the instructor felt the aircraft was too low to hold. The instructor reported taking the controls and pushing the cyclic forward at the same time as the student pilot began to push forward. The instructor reported feeling the impact of the tail rotor and boom, then the aircraft yawed to the right. The instructor stated that the throttle was already closed to idle so the instructor "held the cyclic for a level attitude and prepared to cushion the landing with the collective. [The helicopter] spun around approximately another 390 degrees to the right before the helicopter impacted the runway on the skids collapsing the left side of the landing gear."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N269HB
- Reported as
- Schweizer 300 CBI
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0166
- Airframe hours
- 2,177.7
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-GIA, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Hummingbird Aviation
- Registered owner
- WestStar Ventures, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 1, 2007
- Departed
- KFCM · Minneapolis, MN
- Destination
- KLVN · Minneapolis, MN
- Airport
- KLVN · Air Lake Airport, runway 30, 4,098 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2006
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 703 total · 666 in this make and model · 631 as pilot in command · 239 in the last 90 days · 95 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 1, 2006
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 103 total · 80 in this make and model · 48 as pilot in command · 20 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 15 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KFCM, 15 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.