- Date
- August 15, 1992, 19:10 local (23:10 UTC)
- Place
- London, OH
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N63SSSchweizer 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920815031439A
- Case key
- 37208
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 failure of the pilot to properly judge his altitude during a practice autorotation, which resulted in a tail rotor ground strike and roll over upon touchdown.
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 pilot was practicing autorotations when the tail rotor struck the ground. The pilot stated that he flared a little too low. The helicopter then entered an uncommanded turn, struck the ground, and rolled over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N63SS
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1519
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Steve A. Skilken
- Registered owner
- Steve A. Skilken
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- LUK · Cincinnati, OH
- Destination
- Columbus, OH
- Airport
- NONE · 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificates
- Private, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,470 total · 339 in this make and model · 4,400 as pilot in command · 117 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- CMH, 27 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.