Schweizer 300C accident near Broomfield, Colorado, November 14, 2010
On November 14, 2010 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Schweizer 300C (helicopter), registered N299RJ, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Broomfield, Colorado. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning, which resulted in a loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper execution of an autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 14, 2010 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Broomfield, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 300C
- Registration
- N299RJ · registry record · serial S1883
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot, while returning back to his home airport the helicopter's engine began to sputter. He elected to perform a precautionary landing and, while descending to an unoccupied football field, the engine lost total power. During touchdown, the helicopter landed hard and spun counterclockwise before coming to rest in the upright position, substantially damaging the tailboom. An on-scene examination of the helicopter revealed that both fuel tanks were empty and that no fuel was observed underneath the wreckage or on the field. After adding fuel, the engine the helicopter operator was able to run the engine at various power settings with no anomalies.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Fuel exhaustion during enroute (cruise)
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- factor Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid management
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter
- Flight time: 65 hours in all; 65 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 1, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KEIK Erie CO
- Destination: KEIK Erie CO
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.85 inHg
- Observation at 10:45 pm from BJC, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CEN11CA068.