Schweizer 269C-1 N2093U

Summary

On 27 August 2011 at about 14:39 local time, a Schweizer 269C-1 registered N2093U, operated by Bristow Academy Inc, was involved in an accident near Titusville, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

27 August 2011 at 14:39

Classification

Accident

Location

Titusville, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Space Coast Regional Airport (TIX)

Coordinates

28.4356, -81.0253

Aircraft

Schweizer 269C-1

Registration

N2093U

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Bristow Academy Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Titusville → Titusville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA11CA474

1 person had minor injuries.

The student pilot's landing at an unapproved location, which resulted in a ground fire from the engine exhaust.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

According to the student pilot, he flew to a clearing to practice quick stops. He landed in the grass that he estimated to be about 1 foot tall, reset the altimeter, and lifted off the ground into an approximate 3-foot hover. Shortly thereafter, he noticed smoke blowing past the right side of the helicopter. He said that as he attempted to maneuver the helicopter away from the smoke, the engine lost power, and the rotor speed decayed. He landed in the grass, which was on fire, and exited the helicopter, which sustained substantial thermal damage forward of the tailboom. A postaccident examination revealed that the engine exhaust had ignited the grass. According to the operator, the accident location was not an approved landing site. According to the helicopter's flight manual, a fire can result from landing in tall, dry grass due to the exhaust heat. The pilot reported no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.