Aviation Crash Map

Schweizer 269C-1 N358SS

27 December 2003 · Byron, New York, United States · Serious injuries

Summary

On 27 December 2003 at about 19:30 local time, a Schweizer 269C-1 registered N358SS was involved in an accident near Byron, New York, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously 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 19:30
Classification
Accident
Location
Byron, New York, United States
Coordinates
43.0675, -78.0903
Aircraft
Schweizer 269C-1
Registration
N358SS
Category
Helicopter
Engines
1
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 91: General Aviation
Purpose of flight
Personal
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Batavia → Unknown
Aircraft damage
Substantial
Weather
VMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
NYC04LA051

People

1 person was seriously injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
1 0 1 0 0

Probable cause

The pilot's improper use of the collective, and failure to maintain main rotor rpm, which resulted in low main rotor rpm and a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was practicing autorotations into an off airport open field. The landing was hard, and the pilot received serious injuries. The pilot reported the he felt a shudder during the autorotation, and tried to regain airspeed by using forward cyclic, but he was unable to regain airspeed. Examination of the helicopter found evidence of low main rotor rpm. No discrepancies were found with the flight controls and engine.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

Other Schweizer 269 accidents

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
15 May 2003 Schweizer 269C
N109JS
New Canaan, Connecticut, United States Centennial Helicopters Inc. Minor injuries -
28 Jun 2003 Schweizer 269C
N3623U
Bountiful, Utah, United States - No injuries -
18 Oct 2003 Schweizer 269C
N456JP
Fenton, Michigan, United States Joseph Duane Brasher Fatal 1
7 Apr 2003 Schweizer 269C
N8968F
Wichita, Kansas, United States - Minor injuries -
11 Sep 2003 Schweizer 269C-1
N6147Q
Homestead, Florida, United States Helicenter International Academy Minor injuries -
4 Jan 2003 Schweizer 269C
N98TH
Collinsville, California, United States - Fatal 1

All 233 records for this type

Other accidents in this area

Date Aircraft Location Operator Outcome Died
5 May 2003 Piper PA-28-180
N55854
Montgomery, New York, United States - No injuries -
6 Jun 2003 Mooney M20J
N1077V
Montauk, New York, United States - No injuries -
19 Jan 2003 Boeing 757-251
N550NW
Flushing, New York, United States - Serious injuries -
18 Jan 2003 Piper PA-28-180
N5136L
Poughkeepsie, New York, United States - No injuries -
23 Mar 2003 Bell 47D
N74120
Princetown, New York, United States - Minor injuries -
5 May 2003 Piper PA-23-250
N448VP
Buffalo, New York, United States - No injuries -

All 170,864 records in United States