- Date
- March 12, 2007, 08:45 local (12:45 UTC)
- Place
- Plymouth, MA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2074KSchweizer 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 2008
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20070312003089A
- Case key
- 65410
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's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during a hover, and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action.
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
During an instructional flight and while at a hover, the rotorcraft-rated private pilot initiated a clearing pedal turn to the right. After about a quarter turn, the helicopter "violently yawed to the right, and crashed," before the flight instructor could react. Examination of the helicopter revealed no mechanical anomalies. In addition, the flight instructor was involved in a similar accident with the same helicopter, but a different student, a month earlier.
Factual narrative
On March 12, 2007, at 0845 eastern daylight time, N2074K, a Schweizer 269C, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground while hovering at the Plymouth Municipal Airport (PYM), Plymouth, Massachusetts. The certificated flight instructor and certificated private pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
According to the flight instructor, while at a hover, the private pilot initiated a clearing pedal turn to the right. After about a quarter turn, the helicopter "violently yawed to the right, and crashed." The flight instructor reported that the helicopter impacted the ground before he could react.
According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the helicopter's left skid impacted the ground during a hover, and then the helicopter rolled onto its left side. Examination of the helicopter by a representative from Schweizer and the FAA revealed no mechanical deficiencies. Substantial damage was noted to the fuselage and tail boom.
The FAA inspector additionally reported that the flight instructor was involved in an unreported accident on February 1, 2007, in the same helicopter. According to the inspector, the flight instructor was practicing hovering with a different student, when the helicopter yawed to the left and impacted the ground.
The flight instructor reported 310 hours of total flight experience, all of which were in rotorcraft.
The private pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land and rotorcraft-helicopter. He reported 940 hours of total flight experience, 163 of which were in rotorcraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2074K
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0136
- Airframe hours
- 1,139
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming HO-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- ExecJet Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · February 1, 2007
- Departed
- PYM · Plymouth, MA
- Destination
- PMY
- Airport
- PYM · Plymouth Municipal Airport
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
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 310 total · 240 in this make and model · 256 as pilot in command · 110 in the last 90 days · 40 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 1, 2007
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 940 total · 38 in this make and model · 940 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 25 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.27 inHg
- Observed at
- PYM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2074K · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.