Schweizer 269D N8374F

Summary

On 30 September 2007 at about 22:05 local time, a Schweizer 269D registered N8374F was involved in an incident near Houston, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 September 2007 at 22:05

Classification

Incident

Location

Houston, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

William P Hobby (HOU)

Coordinates

29.6453, -95.2789

Aircraft

Schweizer 269D

Registration

N8374F

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Public Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

DFW07IA212

Nobody was injured.

The fatigue failure during hover of the drive adapter between the engine and lower pulley drive shaft.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After a hover taxi and while approximately 5 feet above ground level, the pilot stopped the helicopter's forward movement, and was turning into the wind when he felt a "hard thump." The helicopter descended, impacted the ground, and yawed 20-30 degrees to the left before coming to rest in an upright position. The helicopter sustained minor damage. An examination of the helicopter by maintenance personnel revealed that the forward drive adapter of the engine to lower pulley drive shaft had fractured and separated from the aft coupling. This fracture separated the engine from the power train, resulting in loss of power to the main rotors. An examination of the drive adapter revealed that it had failed due to fatigue.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.