- Date
- December 4, 2000, 13:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Carlsbad, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N1097NHughes 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 2, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20001204024669A
- Case key
- 50745
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 CFI's inadequate supervision and failure to maintain control of the helicopter during a practice autorotation. A contributing factor was the student's improper in-flight planning/decision.
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 purpose of the flight was for the certified flight instructor (CFI) to evaluate the skill level of the second pilot, and to provide any needed instruction. The CFI assigned the second pilot the task of performing an autorotation to a landing. During the approach the second pilot, who was handling the flight controls, was a little short of the desired touchdown mark and permitted the main rotor rpm to decrease. During the hard touchdown a rotor blade chopped off the tail boom.
Factual narrative
On December 4, 2000, about 1330 hours Pacific standard time, a Hughes 269C, N1097N, operated by Civic Helicopters, Inc., Carlsbad, California, landed hard at the McClellan-Palomar Airport, in Carlsbad. The tail boom was severed, and the helicopter was substantially damaged. Neither the airline transport certificated pilot, who held a flight instructor certificate, nor the pilot who was receiving a checkout were injured. The training flight was performed under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight originated from Carlsbad about 1300.
According to the flight instructor (CFI), the purpose of the flight was to observe the skill level of the second pilot, and to provide any needed instruction. The CFI assigned the second pilot the task of performing an autorotation to a landing on an airport helipad. During the approach the second pilot, who was handling the flight controls, was a "little short" of the desired touchdown mark. Main rotor rpm decreased, and upon touchdown a rotor blade chopped off the tail boom. The helicopter remained in an upright attitude.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1097N
- Reported as
- Hughes 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 600934
- Airframe hours
- 9,582
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360H1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Civic Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Flight Trails Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 13, 2000 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- CRQ
- Airport
- CRQ · Mcclellan-Palomar
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
- 51
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 14,000 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 12,000 as pilot in command · 250 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 167 °F, dew point 126 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CRQ
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.