- Date
- December 1, 1992, 20:51 local (Dec 2, 1992, 02:51 UTC)
- Place
- Kansas City, MO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N640KCSchweizer 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 21, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921201048819A
- Case key
- 15588
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-in-command's misjudging the distance during the autorotation.
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
While on a routine night patrol the police helicopter experienced the loss of the large clevis pin in the clutch control spring assembly. The loss of the spring assembly disconnected the powerplant from the rotor system. The pilot initiated an autorotation. The terrain underlying the landing attempt was a ravine with high trees. The pilot was not able to judge the distance between the helicopter and the ground to successfully effect an autorotational landing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N640KC
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1474
- Airframe hours
- 2,174
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Public aircraft · Part 91
- Operator
- Board Of Police Commissioners
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 30, 1992 · 74 hours before
- Destination
- 3MO1
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
- 48
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,400 total · 2,100 in this make and model · 75 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 21 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MCI, 20 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.