Schweizer 269C-1 N321ET
20 November 2009 · Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 November 2009 at about 21:00 local time, a Schweizer 269C-1 registered N321ET, operated by Eagle II Aeronautics Inc, was involved in an accident near Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and nobody was 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 21:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Lebanon, Pennsylvania, United States
- Nearest airport
- Keller Brothers Airport (08N)
- Coordinates
- 40.2883, -76.3239
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C-1
- Registration
- N321ET
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Eagle II Aeronautics Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Lebanon → Lebanon
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA10CA075
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to arrest the helicopter descent during the simulated engine out maneuver resulting in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter pilot stated that he was performing his first solo autorotation to a full landing. He began the maneuver at approximately 1000 feet, and near the ground he noticed that he had a higher than normal rate of descent. He flared late and the helicopter “settled fast”. As the helicopter touched down, the tail struck the ground resulting in substantial damage to the tail boom, tail rotor drive shaft, and tail rotor assembly. The pilot did not report any mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter prior to the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Apr 2009 | Schweizer 269C | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Airwork LLC | No injuries | - |
| 8 Oct 2009 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Lewiston, Maine, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2009 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Titusville, Florida, United States | Bristow Academy Inc | No injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 2009 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Naples, Florida, United States | Ocean Helicopters, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Sep 2009 | Schweizer 269C | Preston, Texas, United States | Longhorn Helicopters Inc | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 2009 | Schweizer 269C | Kilshanchoe, Ireland | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 2009 | Cessna 172 | York, Pennsylvania, United States | Av-Ed Flight School | No injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 2009 | Rolladen-Schneider LS8-18 | Fairfield, Pennsylvania, United States | Mueller Frederick Karl | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 2009 | Cessna 172S | Easton, Pennsylvania, United States | Moyer Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 2009 | Robinson R44 | Silver Spring, Pennsylvania, United States | Advanced Helicopter Concepts | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 2009 | Diamond DA 40 | West Chester, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Oct 2009 | Piper PA28 | Meadville, Pennsylvania, United States | John T. Bouley | Minor injuries | - |