Schweizer 269D N411HU

Summary

On 14 July 2018 at about 15:15 local time, a Schweizer 269D registered N411HU was involved in an accident near Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 July 2018 at 15:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

Shoestring Aviation Airfield (0P2)

Coordinates

39.7961, -76.6469

Aircraft

Schweizer 269D

Registration

N411HU

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2003

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Baltimore → Stewartstown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18LA192

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot's inability to maintain yaw control while transitioning to an out of ground effect hover due to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he made an uneventful approach into the 8-to-10 knot wind nearly directly down the runway. While operating the helicopter out of ground effect about 15 to 20 ft above ground level and about 10 to 20 knots, he began to apply left antitorque pedal to start to hover. With wind from the right, the helicopter then started turning clockwise; he applied left antitorque pedal, which did not stop the rotation, and the helicopter completed about 12 turns before impacting the ground. The passenger recalled the helicopter spinning clockwise and coming to rest on its left side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, horizontal stabilizer, and rotor blades. The pilot did not recall reducing throttle or lowering collective during the accident sequence. Postaccident examination of the tail rotor flight control and drive system revealed no evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Although the tail rotor control cable tension was about 2 lbs, or about 3%, less than the helicopter manufacturer’s specifications, that discrepancy would not affect operation of the tail rotor. Given this information, it is likely that the pilot was unable to stop the yaw and lost control of the helicopter due to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.