- Date
- December 18, 1992, 15:20 local (20:20 UTC)
- Place
- Elmira, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N6129QSchweizer 269C
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921218053809A
- Case key
- 37284
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
An unstable touchdown which resulted in a rollover, inadequate supervision by the PIC, and failure of the PIC to take control of the helicopter in a timely manner. A factor related to the accident was the left seat pilot's lack of recent experience in touchdown autorotations.
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 helicopter was on a new aircraft acceptance flight test with two pilots on board. The left seat pilot represented the purchaser and the right seat pilot was a company pilot and was designated pilot in command. They were practicing a touchdown autorotation. During touchdown, both pilots were on the controls and the helicopter touched down in a right drift and with the right skid lower. At touchdown, the helicopter rolled to the right and came to rest on its side. No transfer of control procedures had been established before takeoff. Left seat pilot had gone 13 months without performing touchdown autorotations in this type of helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6129Q
- Reported as
- Schweizer 269C
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- S1629
- Airframe hours
- 2
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360-D1A, 190 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Operator
- Schweizer Aircraft Corp
- Registered owner
- Schweizer Aircraft Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · December 17, 1992 · 2 hours before
- Departed
- ELM
- Destination
- ELM
- Airport
- ELM · Elmira, runway 6, 2,020 × 180 ft, grass/turf
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,864 total · 592 in this make and model · 4,578 as pilot in command · 75 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 32 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N6129Q · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.