- Date
- December 28, 2013, 08:30 local (13:30 UTC)
- Place
- White Plains, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2056JSchweizer 269C
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 4, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FSDO/FAA
- FAA report
- 20131228024809A
- Case key
- 88597
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 flight instructor's failure to maintain airspeed during a practice autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent loss of control
Findings · 4
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 flight instructor (CFI) was demonstrating a 180-degree autorotation to a student pilot while performing an instructional flight. The CFI reported entering the autorotation when, at about 100 feet agl, the indicated airspeed suddenly dropped to about 40 knots. He pushed the cyclic forward in an attempt to regain airspeed and flared at about 50 feet agl in an attempt to slow down the helicopter's rate of descent. The helicopter landed on the edge of the runway on the back of the skids, bounced back into the air, and began an accelerated yaw to the right. According to the CFI, he lowered the collective and reduced throttle while the helicopter spun four or five times. The helicopter subsequently impacted the ground, and came to rest on its left side. A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the cabin and the tail boom. The CFI reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor (CFI) was demonstrating a 180-degree autorotation to a student pilot while performing an instructional flight. The CFI reported entering the autorotation when, at about 100 feet agl, the indicated airspeed suddenly dropped to about 40 knots. He pushed the cyclic forward in an attempt to regain airspeed and flared at about 50 feet agl in an attempt to slow down the helicopter's rate of descent. The helicopter landed on the edge of the runway on the back of the skids, bounced back into the air, and began an accelerated yaw to the right. According to the CFI, he lowered the collective and reduced throttle while the helicopter spun four or five times. The helicopter subsequently impacted the ground, and came to rest on its left side. A postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed substantial damage to the cabin and the tail boom. The CFI reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2056J
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1820
- Built
- 2001
- Airframe hours
- 7,504
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Wings Air LLC
- Registered owner
- Wings Air LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 6, 2013
- Departed
- HPN · White Plains, NY
- Destination
- HPN · White Plains, NY
- Airport
- HPN · Westchester County, runway 29, 4,451 × 150 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 20
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 19, 2013
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 446 total · 257 in this make and model · 367.7 as pilot in command · 88 in the last 90 days · 24.7 in the last 30 days · 0.8 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 16
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 96.8 total · 96.8 in this make and model · 9.6 as pilot in command · 21.3 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 250° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- HPN
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 21, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 736 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.