Schweizer 269C N99DK

Summary

On 27 January 2001 at about 22:00 local time, a Schweizer 269C registered N99DK was involved in an accident near Damon, 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.

Date

27 January 2001 at 22:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Damon, Texas, United States

Coordinates

29.2697, -95.7199

Aircraft

Schweizer 269C

Registration

N99DK

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Pearland → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW01LA053

Nobody was injured.

the pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control during takeoff to a hover, which resulted in a dynamic rollover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot landed the helicopter off airport due to the observer becoming sick. After the observer recovered, the pilot attempted to takeoff. With the helicopter headed into the wind, he increased collective. The left skid lifted first and he applied the correction he "thought was appropriate: more left stick/cyclic." The pilot then felt the skid continue to rise, and he had the feeling that the right skid was "hooked" by the ground. He applied "full left stick/cyclic deflection and lowered collective." The pilot stated that "at that time I believe a wind shift with a gust blew under my rotor and pushed me over." The main rotor blades hit the ground, and the helicopter came to rest on its right side.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.