Schweizer 300C N698SM
26 March 2000 · New Ulm, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 26 March 2000 at about 16:40 local time, a Schweizer 300C registered N698SM, operated by Skylane Helicopters, LLC., was involved in an accident near New Ulm, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- New Ulm, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 29.8697, -96.4893
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 300C
- Registration
- N698SM
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Skylane Helicopters, LLC.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- New Ulm → New Ulm
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW00LA105
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadequate in-flight evaluation of the landing area, which resulted in the separation of the main rotor system as a result of foreign object damage.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter was transporting a passenger to a remote site to change the batteries on a seismic recorder box. As the pilot terminated the landing approach to a hover at a skid height of 1 to 2 feet above the ground, an empty canvas heli-bag that was lying on the ground blew into the helicopter's main rotor system. The helicopter developed 'a severe' vibration, the main rotor system separated, and the helicopter impacted the ground in a 'moderately hard landing.' The operator stated that the accident could have been prevented by 'making sure that heli-bag is secure and that aircraft is a safe distance from bag and box.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer 300 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Aug 2001 | Schweizer 300C | Cicero, New York, United States | Highland Helicopter Services | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Dec 2001 | Schweizer 300C | Stockerau, Austria | Aerial Helikopter | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2002 | Schweizer 300C | Haleyville, Alabama, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 May 2002 | Schweizer 300C | Weiz, Austria | S.P. Helicopter Service | No injuries | - |
| 11 Apr 1995 | Schweizer 300C | Lithopolis, Ohio, United States | City of Columbus | Unknown | - |
| 28 Jul 1995 | Schweizer 300C | Kansas City, Missouri, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Jul 2000 | Schweizer G-164B | Moscow, Texas, United States | Paynes Flying Service, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 May 2000 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Garwood, Texas, United States | Michael Thompson | Minor injuries | - |
| 19 Apr 2000 | Mooney M20F | Tomball, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Apr 2000 | Piper PA-32R-301 | Rocksprings, Texas, United States | Ivan B. Greenhut | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 2000 | Cessna 185F | Burnet, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Feb 2000 | Piper PA-18 | New Ulm, Texas, United States | Leonard F. Firth | Minor injuries | - |