- Date
- September 11, 1991, 16:24 local (Sep 12, 1991, 02:24 UTC)
- Place
- Kahului, HI
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N6128QSchweizer 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 23, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910911039369A
- Case key
- 27357
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 student pilot entry into an uncontrolled descent while attempting to perform an autorotation. The student pilot's lack of total experience was a factor in the accident.
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 student pilot, who had logged a total of 36 flying hours in this make and model helicopter during the past 5 months, took off for a practice flight approximately 20 minutes prior to the accident. Immediately preceding the accident a ground witness observed the helicopter maneuvering from side to side at a low altitude and heard a popping or sputtering noise emanating from the helicopter prior to the collision with the ground. The helicopter impacted the ground in a nose high, tail low attitude. The front section of the skids was not damaged. An examination of the engine after the accident did not disclose any evidence of a preimpact malfunction or failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6128Q
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1508
- Airframe hours
- 600
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-DIA, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Pacific Aviation Group, Inc., doing business as Maui Flight Training Center
- Registered owner
- Pacific Aviation Group, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 10, 1991
- 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 36 total · 36 in this make and model · 6 as pilot in command · 9 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.