N15SS

On March 29, 1999, about 1730 eastern standard time, a Schweizer 269C, N15SS, was destroyed when it struck the ground, while maneuvering in Westerville, Ohio. The certificated airline transport pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight. No flight plan had been filed for the flight that was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

In the NTSB Form 6120.1/2, submitted by the pilot's lawyer, she reported the pilot departed and was circling a new home he had under construction, and had no further memory until he woke up in a helicopter and was being transported to a hospital.

Witness were interviewed by an FAA Inspector who reported:

The first witness reported:

"...He made one pass, when came around again in a counter clockwise direction. The tail boom twitched twice, then it turned. When it hit the trees it got quiet. I went directly over to the accident scene being the first there after the crash. I turned off the master switch, and [another person]...turned off the ventilation fan...he was still strapped in the aircraft...The dog was not in the aircraft when we arrived at the site. We found the dog later over the bank with two broken front legs...."

The second witness reported:

"...I heard the helicopter and walked outside to see it.. He went around once, then came back around again. The second time around he came to a hover, as it was looking Southwest. The aircraft started teetering back and forth. The aircraft then rotated on its axis moving right to left from where I was standing. I didn't distinguish any noise during this time. The main rotor quit turning, then I heard the sound of trees crackling...."

The third witness reported:

"I remember the helicopter circling twice going counter clockwise from where I was standing. He was about 20 feet above the trees and appeared to get slower and slower, then he started to hover. I remember hearing the engine running. The cockpit was facing me. The aircraft started to wobble then turned counter clockwise. It got quiet after it wobbled. It came level through the trees, flipped over, then got right side up...."

The fourth witness reported:

"...I remember hearing the helicopter coming and seeing it make two revolutions. It started to wobble, like it was making a figure eight. Then it got quite. The helicopter was about 20 to 30 feet above the trees. I remember hearing the blades cutting the air, then contacting the trees. He came down through the trees level, then flipped upside down, then right side up. It go quiet before descending into the trees...."

The helicopter was examined, and according to the report from Schweizer Aircraft Company:

"...The TR [tail rotor] drive shaft was twisted forward of the tail boom bulkhead...There was continuity through the drive train, from engine to main transmission and MR [main rotor] head as well as TR...The outside diameter of the fan does appear to have some rubbing contact...The H-frame is intact the belts are intact and in position, the lower strut was bent. The pulleys are intact and appear to be operable the freewheeling unit in the upper pulley works in the proper direction and appears satisfactory. The engine to lower pulley shaft was installed and intact. There were no signs of damage and the system rotated the engine...The linear actuator clutch was in the normal flight retracted position...The cable was connected and exhibits no signs of failure...The MR mast was intact and the controls up to the swashplate are intact...All three [main rotor] blades exhibit impact marks, dents, damage and what appears to be tree residue on the bottom airfoil. There are no leading edge impact marks of any significance...Both [tail rotor] blades exhibited minor trailing edge damage, but no leading edge damage. There was a significant amount of marking on the outboard side of the airfoil from trees and foilage...."

The engine was transported to the manufacturer, and under the supervision of a FAA inspector, was placed in a test cell. The engine was started and ran rough. The left magneto cap and harness which were damaged were replaced by a slave unit and the engine performed satisfactorily. Low fuel pressure was observed from the engine driven pump. The Lycoming report stated:

"...The low fuel pressure indication seen in test cell # 2-6 appeared to be caused by the intermittent drop off of the test cell fuel supply relay...."

The FAA Inspector who inspected the helicopter also added:

"...the witnesses on scene all said the dog was not in the aircraft when they arrived at the crash site. We were told the dog was always strapped in, when flying in the aircraft. The day after the accident the job site foreman showed us a red dog harness, she said the dog wore when flying. The pilot's sister told us the following day, the red harness was for the dog he had previously owned and that it was too small for the dog he currently had. Even though we were told the dog was always strapped in, there never was a harness produced to support this statement."