- Date
- March 26, 2000, 10:40 local (16:40 UTC)
- Place
- New Ulm, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N698SMSchweizer 300C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000326012839A
- Case key
- 51125
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 inadequate in-flight evaluation of the landing area, which resulted in the separation of the main rotor system as a result of foreign object damage.
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
The helicopter was transporting a passenger to a remote site to change the batteries on a seismic recorder box. As the pilot terminated the landing approach to a hover at a skid height of 1 to 2 feet above the ground, an empty canvas heli-bag that was lying on the ground blew into the helicopter's main rotor system. The helicopter developed 'a severe' vibration, the main rotor system separated, and the helicopter impacted the ground in a 'moderately hard landing.' The operator stated that the accident could have been prevented by 'making sure that heli-bag is secure and that aircraft is a safe distance from bag and box.'
Factual narrative
On March 26, 2000, at 1040 central standard time, a Schweizer 300C helicopter, N698SM, sustained substantial damage during landing near New Ulm, Texas. The commercial pilot and passenger were not injured. The helicopter was registered to ADC, Inc., of San Angelo, Texas, and was operated by SkyLane Helicopters, LLC., of Decatur, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 business flight, for which a flight plan was not filed. The local flight departed at 1030 from an off-airport staging area near New Ulm, Texas.
The operator and pilot reported to an FAA inspector that the helicopter was transporting the passenger to a remote site to change the batteries on a seismic recorder box. As the pilot terminated the landing approach to a hover, at a skid height of 1 to 2 feet above the ground, an empty canvas bag that was lying on the ground blew into the main rotor system. According to the pilot and passenger, the helicopter developed "a severe vibration and the main rotor system separated from the helicopter." Subsequently, the helicopter impacted the ground in a "moderately hard landing." In the section of the NTSB Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (Form 6120.1/2) titled "Recommendation (How Could This Accident Have Been Prevented)", the operator stated "making sure that heli-bag [canvas bag] is secure and that aircraft is a safe distance from bag and box."
According to the FAA inspector, who examined the helicopter, the main rotor mast housing was fractured just above the top of the transmission case, and the upper portion of the mast housing and the main rotor system separated from the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N698SM
- Reported as
- Schweizer 300C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1768
- Airframe hours
- 439
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Skylane Helicopters, LLC.
- Registered owner
- Adc, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 10, 2000 · 398 hours before
- Departed
- NONE · New Ulm, TX
- Destination
- NONE · New Ulm, TX
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 28
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,105 total · 575 in this make and model · 960 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 26 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 135° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.