Pilot Debrief

SCHWEIZER 269C 1 near Titusville, FL — 2014-01-21

Final reportERA14LA101
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Date
2014-01-21
Location
Titusville, FL, USA
Airport
TIX
Aircraft
SCHWEIZER 269C 1
Registration
N2110J
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s inadvertent side-loading of the left skid while demonstrating a running landing, which resulted in a bending overstress fracture of the left skid tube and a subsequent roll-over.

NTSB narrative

During an instructional flight, the flight instructor successfully demonstrated one running landing to the student and then returned to the same area to demonstrate a second running landing. A few seconds after ground contact, the weight of the helicopter began to shift forward, which is typical, so the flight instructor slightly raised the collective. With the weight of the helicopter forward and about half of the forward speed dissipated, the helicopter suddenly pitched down and then rolled left. The flight instructor raised the collective slightly more in an attempt to reduce friction, but the helicopter continued rolling left, and the main rotor contacted the ground. Examination revealed that the left skid tube had fractured due to bending overstress and that the left skid toe had deflected inboard relative to the strut and remainder of the tube. It is likely that the fracture occurred during the running landing. Although the helicopter was equipped with two recording devices capable of retaining data, neither of the devices recorded and retained data for the accident sequence; therefore, the amount of g-loading that the helicopter sustained during the landing sequence could not be determined.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
CFI could have aborted the landing when the helicopter pitched down.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 11 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents11

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