- Date
- November 20, 2009, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Lebanon, PA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N321ETSchweizer 269C-1
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 23, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20091120051559A
- Case key
- 75087
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’s failure to arrest the helicopter descent during the simulated engine out maneuver resulting in a hard landing.
Findings · 3
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
The helicopter pilot stated that he was performing his first solo autorotation to a full landing. He began the maneuver at approximately 1000 feet, and near the ground he noticed that he had a higher than normal rate of descent. He flared late and the helicopter “settled fast”. As the helicopter touched down, the tail struck the ground resulting in substantial damage to the tail boom, tail rotor drive shaft, and tail rotor assembly. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter prior to the accident.
Factual narrative
The helicopter pilot stated that he was performing his first solo autorotation to a full landing. He began the maneuver at approximately 1000 feet, and near the ground noticed that he had a higher than normal rate of decent. He flared late and the helicopter “settled fast”. As the helicopter touched down, the tail struck the ground resulting in substantial damage to the tail boom, tail rotor drive shaft, and tail rotor assembly. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter prior to the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N321ET
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C-1
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0025
- Airframe hours
- 2,766
- Engine
- Lycoming HO-360-C1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Eagle II Aeronautics Inc
- Registered owner
- Eagle II Aeronautics Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 31, 2009 · 54 hours before
- Departed
- 08N · Lebanon, PA
- Destination
- 08N · Lebanon, PA
- Airport
- 08N · Keller Brothers Airport, runway 25, 2,635 × 120 ft, grass/turf
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
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 230 total · 54 in this make and model · 173 as pilot in command · 12 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 34 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- LNS, 10 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 11, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 413 KB 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.