Hughes 269C N1088Y

Summary

On 22 September 2011 at about 22:40 local time, a Hughes 269C registered N1088Y, operated by Allen D. Hopkins, was involved in an accident near Ramona, California, United States. 2 people were 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.

Date

22 September 2011 at 22:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Ramona, California, United States

Coordinates

33.1233, -116.9167

Aircraft

Hughes 269C

Registration

N1088Y

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Allen D. Hopkins

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Carlsbad → Carlsbad

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA462

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s failure to follow the proper procedure while demonstrating a practice autorotation, which resulted in a total loss of engine power and subsequent hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor stated that he initiated the autorotation demonstration maneuver between 600 to 700 feet above ground level (agl) by rolling off the throttle and splitting the needles. About 300 feet agl, he initiated the recovery; however, he then noticed that the engine rpm was near zero and that the engine would not respond to throttle input. About 100 feet agl, the airspeed was about 40 knots, and the rotor rpm was on the low side of the green arc. The helicopter subsequently landed hard, slid forward, rolled over, and came to rest on its right side. A postaccident examination revealed no anomalies with the engine that would have precluded normal operation. The company chief pilot stated that, shortly after the instructor was hired, he showed the instructor the proper technique for teaching autorotations, which did not include rolling the throttle off in flight, a procedure that could result in engine stoppage. About 4 months after the accident, the Federal Aviation Administration issued Special Airworthiness Bulletin SW-12-12, “Conducting Engine-Failure Simulation in Helicopters with Reciprocating Engines.” The bulletin cautions owners and operators of Schweizer 269C and 269C-1 helicopters to avoid throttle chops to full idle in order to minimize the possibility of engine stoppage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.