Schweizer 269C N298SH

Summary

On 25 July 2000 at about 17:15 local time, a Schweizer 269C registered N298SH was involved in an accident near Sherman, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

25 July 2000 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Sherman, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Sherman Municipal (SWI)

Coordinates

33.6103, -96.6009

Aircraft

Schweizer 269C

Registration

N298SH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW00LA216

1 person had minor injuries.

the total failure of the clutch cable during landing, which resulted from fatigue cracking of the cable's individual wires.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the pilot, the helicopter was on final approach at 20 feet agl and 40 knots when it 'abruptly yawed left.' The pilot noted that the engine RPM 'pegged off the dial.' The pilot lowered the collective and rolled the throttle to idle. Approximately 5 feet agl, the pilot increased the collective and applied 'slight' aft cyclic. The helicopter impacted the ground on the rear section of the right skid, bounced, and rolled over onto its left side. Examination of the helicopter at the accident site revealed that the clutch cable had separated. The clutch cable was examined and found to have failed as a result of high-cycle fatigue crack propagation on the individual wires. The initiation of the fatigue cracks correlated to an area of contact between the wires; however, there was no evidence of manufacturing or material defects in the cable assembly that could be associated with the failure. Examination of the failed cable revealed that it may have been difficult to notice the failing clutch cable wires without disassembly. According to the helicopter's maintenance manual , disassembly and inspection of the clutch cable and clutch assembly is to be completed every 400 hours. At the time of the accident, the helicopter had accumulated a total of 757.5 flight hours and 398.9 hours since the last 400-hour inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.