ERA20CA104

NTSB accident investigation · Schweizer 269C · Ormond Beach, FL · February 17, 2020

Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal report
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.

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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.

Use of equip/info: aircraft controlPersonnel issues › Task performance · Student/instructed pilotSchweizer 269C-1: 10 casesAll aircraft: 9,295 casesProbable cause
Use of equip/info: use of equip/systemPersonnel issues › Task performance · PilotSchweizer 269C-1: 1 caseAll aircraft: 1,391 casesProbable cause
Performance/control parametersAircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintainedSchweizer 269C-1: 5 casesAll aircraft: 1,269 casesProbable cause

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.