N1542D

Substantial
None

SCHWEIZER 269C-1S/N: 0198

Accident Details

Date
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
NTSB Number
ERA10CA432
Location
Titusville, FL
Event ID
20100818X63315
Coordinates
28.459167, -80.863052
Aircraft Damage
Substantial
Highest Injury
None
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
0
Minor Injuries
0
Uninjured
2
Total Aboard
2

Probable Cause and Findings

The instructor's delayed remedial action, which resulted in a loss of rotor rpm and a hard landing.

Aircraft Information

Registration
N1542D
Make
SCHWEIZER
Serial Number
0198
Engine Type
Reciprocating
Year Built
2005
Model / ICAO
269C-1H269
Aircraft Type
Rotorcraft
No. of Engines
1

Registered Owner (Historical)

Name
BRISTOW ACADEMY INC
Address
365 GOLDEN KNIGHTS BLVD
Status
Deregistered
City
TITUSVILLE
State / Zip Code
FL 32780-8124
Country
United States

Analysis

The flight instructor reported that during the helicopter instructional flight, hovering, straight-ahead, and 180-degree-turn autorotations were performed. The flight instructor's remedial actions typically included adjustment of pitch attitude to maintain the target airspeed, or collective adjustment to keep the rotor rpm in the normal operating range. During an autorotation with turn initiated by the student, the flight instructor took control of the helicopter but allowed the rotor rpm to decay below the lower limit. He adjusted collective and throttle, and initiated a decelerative flare to build rotor rpm, but the rotor rpm continued its decay. The flight instructor was unable to arrest the helicopter's descent, and the helicopter impacted the ground on the back of the skids, pitched forward and rolled over, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, tailboom, and both the main and tail rotor systems. No preexisting mechanical anomalies were noted with the helicopter.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ERA10CA432