- Date
- February 21, 2017, 12:37 local (17:37 UTC)
- Place
- Ormond beach, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N614TASchweizer 269C
- Defining event
- Enroute: Flight control sys malf/fail
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 15, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20170221001479A
- Case key
- 94837
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 separation of the throttle cable’s outer housing from the inner housing at the throttle linkage while at a high-power setting, which prevented the pilot from being able to control the throttle and execute a proper landing flare and resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
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 of the helicopter reported that, about halfway through the flight, he "discovered that the throttle control was inoperative" and stuck in the high rpm setting. He turned the helicopter back to the departure airport and briefed his student on the situation. Upon being cleared to land, he executed a "running landing" and performed a go-around on the first try. On the second try, the skids made hard contact with the runway, and the helicopter came to a stop. A postaccident examination revealed that the helicopter had sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that the throttle cable outer housing separated from the inner solid housing at the throttle linkage and that the internal wire could flex outside of the housing.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor of the helicopter reported that about halfway through the flight he "discovered that the throttle control was inoperative" and stuck in the high RPM setting. He turned the helicopter back to the departure airport and briefed his student on the situation. Upon being cleared to land, he executed a "running landing" and performed a go around on the first try. On the second try, the skids made hard contact with the runway and the helicopter came to a stop. A post-accident examination revealed the helicopter had sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that the throttle cable outer housing separated from the inner solid housing at the throttle linkage, and that the internal wire could now flex outside of the housing.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N614TA
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C (1)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0080
- Built
- 1998
- Airframe hours
- 5,655.1
- Engine
- Lycoming HO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 6, 2017
- Departed
- OMN · Ormond beach, FL
- Destination
- OMN · Ormond beach, FL
- Airport
- OMN · Ormond Beach Muni, runway 8, 4,005 × 75 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- None
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 13, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 1,175 total · 630 in this make and model · 1,070 as pilot in command · 175 in the last 90 days · 75 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 19, 2016
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 118 total · 118 in this make and model · 35 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 21 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KOMN
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 4, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 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.