Schweizer 269C-1 N61463
16 October 2002 · San Antonio, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 16 October 2002 at about 01:10 local time, a Schweizer 269C-1 registered N61463 was involved in an accident near San Antonio, 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 01:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 29.3369, -98.4711
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C-1
- Registration
- N61463
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Antonio → San Antonio
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW03LA013
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
the flight instructor's failure to refuel at an available airport when a low fuel status was identified. Factors were the flight instructor's inadequate preflight flight planning, which included improper fuel consumption calculations, the night light conditions, and the lack of suitable terrain for the forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The purpose of the flight was to provide night VFR cross-country navigation instruction to the student. The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student discussed the low fuel status while over flying one of the en route airports; however, elected to not refuel because neither pilot had a credit card. Subsequently, the helicopter's amber colored low fuel warning light illuminated, and a few minutes later the engine lost total power. An autorotation was performed, during which the helicopter impacted trees and landed hard. The CFI stated that a flight navigation log sheet was not used for the flight; however, during his preflight planning he estimated that the fuel burn rate was 10 gallons per hour at a cruise airspeed of 85 knots, and that the total fight time was going to be 90 minutes. According to an FAA inspector the normal plan cruise airspeed for this helicopter is 70 knots.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Schweizer 269 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Jun 2002 | Schweizer 269C | Paderborn-Lipsd, Germany | Nautische Leasinggescllachaft fur Soziamanagementl | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Jul 2002 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Concord, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 May 2002 | Schweizer 269C | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Scottsdale Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 2002 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Andover, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 Jul 2002 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Askov, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2002 | Schweizer 269C | Broomfield, Colorado, United States | Rotors of the Rockies | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 May 2002 | Boeing A75SN1 | Georgetown, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2002 | Cessna 188A | Vincent, Texas, United States | Elk Creek Spraying Service | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 2002 | Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9B | El Paso, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2002 | Bellanca 17-30 | Plainview, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jan 2002 | Cessna 340A | Temple, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 18 Jan 2002 | Beechcraft C23 | Sinton, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |