- Date
- June 13, 2004, 14:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Englewood, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2062NSchweizer 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20040613011509A
- Case key
- 59468
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 settling with power situation encountered by the pilot. Contributing to the accident was the high density altitude.
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
According to the pilot, he had been cleared for operations on runway 17R. The pilot reported that after crossing the threshold at 40 knots and 40 feet agl, he "felt like [he] was in a high rate of descent and the [helicopter] began to sink." The pilot suspected he was in a "settling with power" situation and decreased the collective and pushed the cyclic forward. The helicopter continued to sink, impacting the runway hard and sliding for approximately 6 feet, substantially damaging the helicopter. Density altitude was calculated at 8,622 feet. The out of ground effect hover ceiling was calculated at approximately 5,600 feet and the in ground effect hover ceiling was calculated between 6,200 and 7,600 feet.
Factual narrative
On June 13, 2004, at approximately 1430 mountain daylight time, a Schweizer 269C, N2062N was substantially damaged during a hard landing to runway 17R at Centennial Airport (APA), Englewood, Colorado. The private pilot and his passenger were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan had been filed for the personal flight being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. The flight departed Jefferson County Airport (BJC), Broomfield, Colorado, at approximately 1400.
According to the pilot's accident report, he had been cleared for take-off and landings on runway 17R. The pilot reported that after crossing the threshold at 40 knots and 40 feet agl, he "felt like [he] was in a high rate of descent and the [helicopter] began to sink." The pilot suspected he was "settling with power" and decreased the collective and pushed the cyclic forward. The helicopter continued to sink, impacting the runway hard and sliding for approximately 6 feet. After briefly assessing the damage, the pilot flew the helicopter back to BJC and landed uneventfully. Later examination revealed that the front and rear crossbar and the right tail boom support strut were bent.
Density altitude was calculated at 8,622 feet. The out of ground effect hover ceiling was calculated at approximately 5,600 feet and the in ground effect hover ceiling was calculated between 6,200 and 7,600 feet. Airport elevation is 5,883 feet msl.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2062N
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1830
- Airframe hours
- 1,991
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 205 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 12, 2004 · 62 hours before
- Departed
- BJC · Denver, CO
- Destination
- BJC · Denver, CO
- Airport
- APA · Centennial, runway 17R, 10,002 × 100 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- January 23, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 139 total · 92 in this make and model · 80 as pilot in command · 43 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 11 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- APA, 1 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.