Schweizer 269D N471RA

Summary

On 13 February 2018 at about 19:15 local time, a Schweizer 269D registered N471RA, operated by C. Aaron LLC, was involved in an accident near Stockbridge, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 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

13 February 2018 at 19:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Stockbridge, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

Private Residence (PVT)

Coordinates

42.4500, -84.2631

Aircraft

Schweizer 269D

Registration

N471RA

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

C. Aaron LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Ann Arbor Municipal

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN18LA106

2 people had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from terrain while maneuvering the helicopter at a low altitude after departure. Contributing to the accident were the pilot’s distraction by the smoke in the cabin and the limited visible features in the snow-covered field to discern the helicopter’s height above the ground.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

About a week or two before the accident flight in the helicopter, the pilot observed oil on the hangar floor that a mechanic determined had dripped from the helicopter’s exhaust stack collector. The helicopter had not been operated for about 2 weeks, and the mechanic noted that this was common when these helicopters are not operated frequently. A static engine test run did not reveal any anomalies. The engine produced some white smoke for a short time after startup consistent with the residual oil in the exhaust stack being burnt. After a recurrence of oil on the hangar floor several days later, the pilot decided to fly the helicopter to another location where it could be further examined by his mechanic. Before that flight, the pilot conducted another static engine ground run and a short test flight. During the short test flight, the pilot activated the cabin heater that produced slight smoke in the cabin. The pilot turned off the heater and opened a cabin window to vent the smoke before he made an uneventful landing. After the test flight, the pilot determined that the helicopter was safe for the intended flight to his mechanic’s shop. The pilot reported that shortly after he departed on the accident flight, when the helicopter was about 25 ft above ground level, he again detected smoke in the cabin when the cabin heater was turned on. The pilot intended to return to his departure point when the helicopter suddenly yawed to the right and impacted a snow-covered field, which resulted in substantial damage to the right side of the fuselage and the main rotor system. The pilot stated that the terrain elevation increased about 10 ft along his flightpath and that the snow-covered field had limited visible features to discern the helicopter’s height above the ground. He stated it was possible that he flew the helicopter into the ground because of a lack of ground references and his perceived height above the ground. Postaccident examination of the accident site and the wreckage revealed a short skid/drag mark in the snow aft and left of the helicopter, which was consistent with the forward portion of the right landing skid colliding with the ground while the helicopter was in forward flight. There was no evidence of a flight control issue or engine malfunction that would have contributed to the pilot’s inability to maintain control of the helicopter or make a normal landing. There was a slight oil residue observed in the exhaust duct. Although the presence of slight smoke in the cabin might have been distracting to the pilot, it could have been mitigated by turning off the cabin heater and opening a cabin window. It is likely the pilot did not maintain adequate clearance from the rising terrain while returning to the departure location after he detected smoke in the cabin.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.