Schweizer 269C 1 N21496
4 November 2015 · Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 November 2015 at about 21:30 local time, a Schweizer 269C 1 registered N21496, operated by HI Tech Helicopters Inc, was involved in an accident near Mount Pocono, 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 21:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, United States
- Nearest airport
- Pocono Mountains Muni (MPO)
- Coordinates
- 41.1397, -75.3767
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C 1
- Registration
- N21496
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2009
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- HI Tech Helicopters Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Mount Pocono → Mount Pocono
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA16CA045
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The student pilot's failure to remove the tension applied to the cyclic before takeoff, which resulted in a loss of directional control and the tail rotor striking the ground.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The solo student helicopter pilot reported that during flight in the traffic pattern, her noise canceling headset malfunctioned, and she landed on the grass adjacent to the runway to troubleshoot the issue. After landing, she "locked the collective down" and "put some tension on the cyclic." Subsequently, the headset began to function, so she removed the friction on the the collective and applied power for hover flight, forgetting there was still tension applied to the cyclic. When power was applied, the student pilot reported that she did not have enough cyclic control and the helicopter hovered backwards and the tail rotor struck the ground. The tail rotor drive shaft was substantially damaged. The student pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Feb 2015 | Schweizer 269C 1 | Carthage, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 2015 | Schweizer 269C | Forest Grove, Oregon, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Jul 2015 | Schweizer 269C | Newberg, Oregon, United States | Precision Aviation Training, LLC | Fatal | 2 |
| 18 Aug 2015 | Schweizer 269C | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2015 | Schweizer 269C-UNDESIGNAT | Mesa, Arizona, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Dec 2015 | Schweizer 269C | Warrenton, Missouri, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Jul 2015 | Piper PA-28-151 | Perkasie, Pennsylvania, United States | Verespy Stephen J JR | No injuries | - |
| 2 Nov 2015 | Aeronca 7AC | Auburn, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 28 May 2015 | Cessna 172R | Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, United States | Moore Aviation Inc | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jul 2015 | Welch Floyd L QUICKIE Q 2 | Hazleton, Pennsylvania, United States | Adam Jacques | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2015 | Cessna T210 | Palmyra, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2015 | Stinson 108 | Dushore, Pennsylvania, United States | Rexer Richard J | Serious injuries | - |