Schweizer 269C N98TH

Summary

On 4 January 2003 at about 23:32 local time, a Schweizer 269C registered N98TH was involved in an accident near Collinsville, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 January 2003 at 23:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Collinsville, California, United States

Coordinates

38.0675, -121.8336

Aircraft

Schweizer 269C

Registration

N98TH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Concord → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03FA060

1 person died.

A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to maintain main rotor rpm during the subsequent autorotation. A factor in the accident was the unsuitable nature of the terrain for a forced landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was in normal cruise flight when it suddenly descended steeply into a shallow tidal marsh/swamp area. Two witnesses in a boat observed the helicopter flying about 500 feet above the terrain and water. One reported seeing it in normal straight and level flight while over the water. The witness described the engine sound as "tinny." The helicopter suddenly turned toward land, the engine sound became quiet, and it descended rapidly to the ground. The other witness reported that his attention was drawn to the helicopter when he heard a "pop" followed by a grinding noise. He noticed that the rotors were slowing down as the helicopter dropped while in a left-hand turn or rotation. Examination of the rotor blades revealed evidence of low rotor energy at impact. The engine was removed from the airframe, cleaned, and then installed on an instrumented test cell where it was test run for 50 minutes at various power levels according to a factory acceptance test protocol with no abnormalities detected. Continuity was established throughout the control system, the fuel delivery system, and the drive train to the main and tail rotors. On the day of the accident, the accident pilot's partner in the helicopter discussed an erratic fuel pressure issue with an aviation maintenance technician (AMT) at the FAA Approved Repair Station where the helicopter was parked and serviced. The discrepancy was not resolved at the time the pilot departed on the accident flight. There is no verified evidence that the pilot was aware of the discrepancy.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.