Schweizer 269C N119DM

Summary

On 16 October 2004 at about 17:50 local time, a Schweizer 269C registered N119DM was involved in an accident near Diamond Head, Mississippi, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 October 2004 at 17:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Diamond Head, Mississippi, United States

Coordinates

30.3628, -89.3869

Aircraft

Schweizer 269C

Registration

N119DM

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Diamond → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA05CA006

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadvertent loss of tail rotor effectiveness during takeoff to a hover and aborted landing in a grass area resulting in the grass catching fire from the engine exhaust and the helicopter being consumed by fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that a few minutes after departure, he performed a precautionary off airport landing in cleared area in marsh section next to the bay, to correct a sticking floor push-to-talk microphone switch. The helicopter was shut down and pilot corrected the sticking microphone switch. The helicopter was started and as it took off to a hover it spun to the right. The pilot managed to land the helicopter in the marsh area. He shut down the helicopter; however, the grass caught fire from the heat of the engine exhaust system. The fire quickly spread, consuming the helicopter and a section of the marsh area before the fire department arrived to extinguish the fire.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.