N153HT – SCHWEIZER 269C-1 – 2011-03-20 NTSB Accident Report

On March 20, 2011, a Schweizer 269C-1 (N153HT) was involved in an incident near Mount Pocono, PA. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The flight instructor's selection of an unsuitable landing site to practice autorotations, which resulted in an inadvertent dynamic rollover during touchdown.

The certificated flight instructor (CFI) stated that during a local training flight, the helicopter was at a hover and he "rolled off power" to simulate an engine failure. According to the CFI, upon ground contact, the aft portion of helicopter's left skid "sank into the mud," the helicopter began to roll to the left, and he attempted corrective action as taught for a dynamic rollover. However, the helicopter rolled over on to its left side resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor blades and fuselage. The CFI and student pilot both stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter prior to the accident.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA11CA201. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N153HT.