Schweizer 269C N61480
21 November 2007 · Newberg, Oregon, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 21 November 2007 at about 18:10 local time, a Schweizer 269C registered N61480 was involved in an accident near Newberg, Oregon, 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 18:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Newberg, Oregon, United States
- Coordinates
- 45.3056, -122.9181
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C
- Registration
- N61480
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Newberg → Portland-Mulino
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- SEA08LA035
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The student pilot's inadvertent application of the fuel shut off valve during flight. Contributing to the accident were the locations of the heater and fuel shutoff controls.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The student pilot was initiating a cross-country flight. As the helicopter entered cruise flight, the student pilot intended to apply the cabin heater control; however, he inadvertently applied the fuel shut off control. Moments later, the engine lost power and the student pilot performed an autorotation and the helicopter landed hard. The student pilot had been training in two models of the same make of helicopter and heaters had been installed (supplemental type certificate) by the operator. The accident helicopter was flown from the left seat and the fuel shut off control was installed on the left side of the instrument panel, with the heater control on the far right side. The other helicopter was flown from the right seat with the fuel shut off control on the right side and the heater control to its left side. Pull-type knobs operate the heater and fuel shut off controls. The helicopter manufacturer offers the heater installation as an optional, after market installation, and its heater control is installed on the front of the center seat area and not on the instrument panel. The manufacturer's heater control is also operated using side-to-side motion for "ON" and "OFF" positions. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies was discovered.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jul 2007 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Immokalee, Florida, United States | Jarlath P O'Brien | No injuries | - |
| 3 Mar 2007 | Schweizer 269-C | Columbus, Pennsylvania, United States | William D. Fritz | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Mar 2007 | Schweizer 269C | Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 30 Sep 2007 | Schweizer 269D | Houston, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Feb 2007 | Schweizer 269C | Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jul 2007 | Schweizer 269C | Ormond Beach, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jul 2007 | Wsk Pzl Mielec M-18A | Burns, Oregon, United States | U.S. Forest Service | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Sep 2007 | Jeffrey Wilson ESCAPADE | La Grande, Oregon, United States | Brad T. Payne | No injuries | - |
| 2 Nov 2007 | Interplane XJ | Independence, Oregon, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Apr 2007 | Jiran FJ-1 | Banks, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 2007 | Root SHERPA | Scappoose, Oregon, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Jul 2007 | Cessna 182S | Astoria, Oregon, United States | - | No injuries | - |