- Date
- May 13, 1997, 12:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Laredo, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N107SMSchweizer 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 15, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19970513039769A
- Case key
- 20219
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
loss of engine power due to fuel contamination, and the pilot's failure to properly check the fuel system for evidence of water during the preflight inspection. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
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 pilot reported that the helicopter was in cruise flight at approximately 150 feet AGL, conducting an airborne seismic survey, when without warning, the engine lost power. The pilot lowered the collective as he turned the helicopter into the prevailing 10 knot wind. During the flare for an autorotation landing, the rotor RPM decayed, and the helicopter touched down hard. The 1995 model helicopter had accumulated a total of 713 flight hours. A fuel sample was taken from the fuel filter sump, which was located between the fuel tank and the throttle body of the fuel injected engine. A substantial amount of water was found in the sample. FAA inspectors, accompanied by the operator of the helicopter, inspected the fuel storage tank that was being used to refuel the helicopter. Examination of the fuel filter in the trailer mounted tank revealed the presence of water and rust.
Factual narrative
On May 13, 1997, at 1250 central daylight time, a Schweizer 269C-1 helicopter, N107SM, was substantially damaged during a forced landing following a loss of engine power near Laredo, Texas. The commercial pilot and his passenger were not injured. The helicopter was owned by a private individual and being operated by Travland Helicopter Inc., of San Angelo, Texas, on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local seismic survey flight for which a flight plan was not filed. The helicopter departed from a field site near the accident site approximately 20 minutes before the accident.
The pilot reported that the helicopter was in cruise flight at approximately 150 feet AGL conducting an airborne seismic survey when without warning, the engine lost power. The pilot added that he lowered the collective as he turned the helicopter into the prevailing 10 knot wind. During the landing flare of the autorotation the rotor RPM decayed and the helicopter landed hard.
Examination of the aircraft by an FAA inspector revealed that the airframe, the skid landing gear assembly and the tail boom of the helicopter sustained structural damage. A review of the aircraft records revealed that the 1995 model helicopter had accumulated a total of 713 flight hours. A fuel sample was taken from the fuel filter sump, which is located between the fuel tank and the throttle body of the fuel injected engine. A substantial amount of water was found in the sample. FAA inspectors, accompanied by the operator to the helicopter, proceeded to the landing site serving as the helicopter base and inspected the fuel storage tank that was being used to refuel the helicopter. Examination of the fuel filter also revealed the presence of water and rust.
In the enclosed Pilot/Operator Report, the pilot recommends "waiting for longer than 5 minutes before sumping the tank."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N107SM
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0011
- Airframe hours
- 713
- Engine
- Lycoming HO-360, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Lewis Travland
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 5, 1997 · 13 hours before
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
- 24
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,516 total · 727 in this make and model · 1,300 as pilot in command · 68 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LRD
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.