Summary
On August 04, 2010, a Schweizer 269C (N6143K) was involved in an incident near Baldwin, FL. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: A loss of tail rotor effectiveness during a hover.
According to the pilot, during a mosquito breeding inspection flight, he entered a hover about 2 feet above a field of tall vegetation, and "within 10-15 seconds the nose of the aircraft began to yaw to the right." The pilot corrected with full left anti-torque pedal and attempted to "enter into translational lift" as the helicopter continued to rotate. The right skid contacted the ground, and the helicopter rolled onto its side, sustaining substantial damage to the main rotor blades, fuselage, and skids. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions of the helicopter prior to the accident.
This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA10CA399. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N6143K.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
A loss of tail rotor effectiveness during a hover.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
According to the pilot, during a mosquito breeding inspection flight, he entered a hover about 2 feet above a field of tall vegetation, and "within 10-15 seconds the nose of the aircraft began to yaw to the right." The pilot corrected with full left anti-torque pedal and attempted to "enter into translational lift" as the helicopter continued to rotate. The right skid contacted the ground, and the helicopter rolled onto its side, sustaining substantial damage to the main rotor blades, fuselage, and skids. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions of the helicopter prior to the accident. He recommended that, "inspection during a cooler part of the day or with presence of wind, or inspecting while moving forward could have prevented the accident." About the time of the accident, an airport weather station about 6 miles southeast of the accident site reported winds variable at 5 knots and temperature 31 degrees C.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA10CA399