- Date
- July 8, 1993, 15:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Rialto, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9588FSchweizer 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 15, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930708023069A
- Case key
- 28423
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 for undetermined reasons, and the flight instructor's improper flare during the autorotation which resulted in a tail boom strike.
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
According to the flight instructor, the student was practicing auto rotations to a power recovery. On the last practice auto rotation, the engine quit when the student rolled the throttle to idle. The instructor took over control of the helicopter and executed a complete auto rotation to touch down. During the landing flare the tail boom contacted the ground and the helicopter landed hard. The helicopter was examined and no discrepancies were found.
Factual narrative
On July 8, 1993, at 1520 hours Pacific daylight time, a Schweizer 269C helicopter, N9588F, sustained a tail boom separation during a hard landing while practicing auto rotations at Rialto, California. The aircraft was operated by CARI Aviation, Inc., of Rialto, California, and was engaged in a dual student instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the operation. The helicopter incurred substantial damage. Neither the certificated commercial pilot flight instructor nor the dual student were injured. The flight originated at the Rialto airport at about 1500 hours on the day of the mishap as a local area dual instructional flight.
According to the flight instructor's verbal statement, the student was practicing auto rotations to a power recovery. On the last practice auto rotation, the engine quit when the student rolled the throttle to idle. The instructor took over control of the helicopter and executed a complete auto rotation to touch down. During the landing flare, the tail boom contacted the ground and the helicopter landed hard.
The helicopter was examined by an FAA airworthiness inspector from the Riverside, California, Flight Standards District Office. He reported that no discrepancies were found with the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9588F
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1050442
- Airframe hours
- 4,857
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Cari Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- K R Aircraft, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 27, 1993 · 60 hours before
- Departed
- L67
- Destination
- L67
- Airport
- L67 · Rialto Municipal
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 620 total · 450 in this make and model · 489 as pilot in command · 92 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.