Schweizer 269C N54LC

Summary

On 13 June 2008 at about 19:20 local time, a Schweizer 269C registered N54LC, operated by AMW Aerospace LLC, was involved in an accident near Cedar Valley, Utah, United States. One person was 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

13 June 2008 at 19:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Cedar Valley, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

West Desert Airpark (UT99)

Coordinates

40.2428, -112.0931

Aircraft

Schweizer 269C

Registration

N54LC

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

AMW Aerospace LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Air Race/Show

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Cedar Valley → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX08CA178

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot's failure to maintain terrain clearance while maneuvering. A contributing factor was the high density altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that the purpose of the flight was to demonstrate the helicopter's performance at an air show. He traveled from overseas by scheduled airline, arriving 2 days before the air show. The day before the air show he flew the helicopter for 50 minutes of demonstration practice at a similar density altitude to that anticipated for the following day's performance. The accident flight began about 1315, and the first two maneuvers were completed without incident. The third maneuver was "a standard 180-degree 'wing-over' commenced from a standard 300 feet." According to the pilot, the helicopter "failed to fully recover from the descent phase of the maneuver and struck the surface at approximately 40-50 knots." The helicopter rolled onto its left side. The pilot reported that the density altitude at the time of the accident was 8,500 feet. He stated that the accident could have been prevented "possibly by greater awareness and practice at the local density altitude conditions."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.