Schweizer 269C N557DC
15 October 1997 · Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 15 October 1997 at about 02:26 local time, a Schweizer 269C registered N557DC was involved in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 02:26
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States
- Coordinates
- 47.9096, -97.0702
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C
- Registration
- N557DC
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Park Rapids → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- CHI98LA021
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
the pilot's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in a low fuel state, and his inability to see the wire which the helicopter contacted. Factors associated to the accident were the precautionary landing, the dark night conditions, and the wire which was contacted.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated he knew he was low on fuel during the last leg of a cross country flight. The low fuel light illuminated when he was 9.5 miles from the destination airport. The pilot elected to make a precautionary landing. The light went off during the landing descent. The pilot continued the descent at which time he felt a yaw to the right. Suspecting an engine failure, he initiated a 'hovering autorotation' only to discover he still had engine power. He reported he regained control of the helicopter and continued the landing. It was later determined that the helicopter contacted an electrical wire which ran across a nearby road.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Mar 1997 | Schweizer 269C | Cleveland, Ohio, United States | City of Cleveland | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jul 1997 | Schweizer 269C | Baltimore, Maryland, United States | Baltimore Police Department | Serious injuries | - |
| 13 May 1997 | Schweizer 269C | Laredo, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jan 1996 | Schweizer 269C | San Ygnacio, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Sep 1998 | Schweizer 269C | Decker, Indiana, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1998 | Schweizer 269C | Oshkosh, Nebraska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jul 1997 | Piper PA-28-151 | Fessenden, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Jul 1997 | Velocity VELOCITY ELITE RG | Langdon, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Sep 1997 | Schweizer G-164B | Larimore, North Dakota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 10 Jul 1997 | Boeing 757-223 | Dickinson, North Dakota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1997 | Boeing 747-422 | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States | United Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 1997 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Fargo, North Dakota, United States | - | No injuries | - |