Schweizer 269C N3947C

Summary

On 24 January 2018 at about 21:56 local time, a Schweizer 269C registered N3947C, operated by Pelican Flight Training LLC., was involved in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, 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

24 January 2018 at 21:56

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Downtown Fort Lauderdale (DT1)

Coordinates

26.1206, -80.1400

Aircraft

Schweizer 269C

Registration

N3947C

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Pelican Flight Training LLC.

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Lauderdale → Hollywood

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA068

Nobody was injured.

The partial loss of engine power during the initial climb due to a stuck intake valve on the No. 4 cylinder.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter was departing from a rooftop helipad, and the flight instructor noticed that, during the initial climb, as the helicopter crossed over the rooftop edge, the low rotor rpm horn and light activated. The helicopter then began to descend. The flight instructor lowered the collective and attempted twice to increase the throttle, but his actions did not stop the descent. Subsequently, he performed an autorotation to a street below the helipad and landed hard, resulting in substantial damage to the tail rotor and tailboom. During a postaccident examination and test run of the engine, the engine produced idle power, but the No. 4 cylinder's compression checks were not normal. The No. 4 cylinder intake and exhaust valves were examined, and both displayed a significant amount of carbon deposit buildup on the valve stem. The intake valve was found stuck in its valve guide and was scratched and scarred. The source of the scarring to the intake valve was not determined. Given the signatures observed on the No. 4 cylinder intake valve, it is likely that, during the initial climb, the intake valve became stuck, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.