- Date
- February 17, 2020, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ormond Beach, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N731TASchweizer 269C
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 25, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA / FSDO
- FAA report
- 20200217006969A
- Case key
- 100960
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 student pilot's improper pedal and cyclic input while maneuvering, which resulted in a loss of helicopter control.
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 student pilot reported that, while on his first solo flight in a helicopter, the wind began to increase. Concerned the wind may become unsafe, he decided to make a full-stop landing and complete the flight. After coming in for landing and while hovering over the runway, an air traffic controller instructed the student to exit the runway via the nearest taxiway. As he made a right pedal turn onto the taxiway, the helicopter began to yaw aggressively right. Concerned the helicopter was encountering a loss of tail rotor effectiveness, he applied additional right pedal and forward cyclic to increase airspeed and abort the landing. The helicopter began to spin uncontrollably and gain altitude. He rolled off the throttle and pulled aft cyclic and full collective, the right skid impacted the ground, and the helicopter then rolled onto its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom and fuselage. The student reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, while on his first solo flight in a helicopter the wind began to increase. Concerned the wind may become unsafe, he deiced to make a full stop landing and complete the solo lesson. After landing and coming to a hover over the runway, air traffic control instructed him to exit the runway via nearest the taxiway. As he made a right pedal turn onto the taxiway the helicopter began to yaw aggressively to the right. Concerned the helicopter was encountering loss of tail rotor effectiveness, he applied additional right pedal and forward cyclic to increase airspeed and abort the landing. The helicopter begun to spin uncontrollably and gain altitude. He rolled off the throttle, pulled aft cyclic, and full collective, the right skid impacted the ground and rolled onto the helicopters right side.The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom, and fuselage. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The airport's automated weather observation station reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 030° at 7 knots. The pilot was landing the helicopter on runway 9.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N731TA
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C (1)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0236
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 2,717.5
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-G1A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Tomlinson Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Tomlinson Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · February 3, 2020
- Departed
- OMN · Ormond Beach, FL
- Destination
- OMN · Ormond Beach, FL
- Airport
- OMN · Ormond Beach Muni, runway 09, 4,005 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 64.6 total · 13.5 in this make and model · 14 in the last 90 days · 7.6 in the last 30 days · 0.6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 30° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KOMN
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 31, 2020, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB 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.