N614TA – SCHWEIZER 269C – 2017-02-21 NTSB Accident Report

On February 21, 2017, a Schweizer 269C (N614TA) was involved in an incident near Ormond Beach, FL. 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 separation of the throttle cable’s outer housing from the inner housing at the throttle linkage while at a high-power setting, which prevented the pilot from being able to control the throttle and execute a proper landing flare and resulted in a hard landing.

The flight instructor of the helicopter reported that about halfway through the flight he "discovered that the throttle control was inoperative" and stuck in the high RPM setting. He turned the helicopter back to the departure airport and briefed his student on the situation. Upon being cleared to land, he executed a "running landing" and performed a go around on the first try. On the second try, the skids made hard contact with the runway and the helicopter came to a stop.

A post-accident examination revealed the helicopter had sustained substantial damage to the fuselage.

The flight instructor reported that the throttle cable outer housing separated from the inner solid housing at the throttle linkage, and that the internal wire could now flex outside of the housing.

This incident is documented in NTSB report GAA17CA178. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N614TA.