Schweizer 269 C-1 N2011A

Summary

On 4 July 2008 at about 07:30 local time, a Schweizer 269 C-1 registered N2011A, operated by Silicon Valley Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Sunol, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 July 2008 at 07:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Sunol, California, United States

Nearest airport

Reid-Hillview Airport (RHV)

Coordinates

37.5617, -121.9050

Aircraft

Schweizer 269 C-1

Registration

N2011A

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Silicon Valley Helicopters

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Byron → San Jose

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

LAX08LA213

2 people died.

The pilots' failure to maintain adequate clearance from transmission wires during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident were the dark night and low fog.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were on the return portion of a night cross-country flight to the airport where the helicopter was based. After refueling, the helicopter departed and flew a path over an interstate highway. Radar data showed the flight continued along the interstate for 3 miles varying between altitudes of 300 to 700 feet mean sea level toward the accident site. The last recorded altitudes of the helicopter were about 250 feet above the interstate. The tops of the surrounding hills were about 150 feet above the interstate, with transmission towers that extended an additional 120 feet above the hills. Witnesses observed the helicopter maneuvering low along the interstate under a heavy fog layer that was about 200 feet above ground level until it collided with the power lines. The CFI had most likely flown a similar flight path in night conditions about 3 months prior to the accident. The accident site was located in a small canyon where the power lines crossed the interstate at a near 45-degree angle, with colored balls on the highest wires. These were the only wires that cross over the interstate in the stretch of the canyon. The two transmission towers on either side of the interstate were not lit or marked. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The relevant Terminal Area Chart pictorially depicted a tower and the power lines, showing them crossing the interstate in the area of the accident site.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.