Schweizer 269C accident near Denver, Colorado, June 2, 2012
On June 2, 2012 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N2196F, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Denver, Colorado (Rocky Mountain Metro Airport). It was an instructional 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 inadequately overhauled landing gear dampers that allowed initiation of a ground resonance event from which the pilot was unable to recover. Contributing to the accident was the overhaul facility's failure to identify the overcharged dampers and a lack of any published acceptance testing criteria for the dampers in the manufacturer's overhaul procedure manual, resulting in the out-of-specification dampers being provided to the operator. Also contributing was the ineffective damper inspection conducted by the operator's maintenance personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 2012 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Rocky Mountain Metro Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2196F · no longer on the register · serial S1647
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, during an introductory flight, he was conducting a 2-foot hover in the helicopter. An airplane started to taxi in front of the helicopter, so the pilot set the helicopter back down on the ground, left skid first and then the right. The helicopter drifted right as the skid made contact, and the pilot added left cyclic input to remedy the drift as he also lowered the collective. As the skids started to settle apart, the pilot noticed a low frequency vibration that immediately got worse. He determined that the helicopter was entering ground resonance, but the engine and collective parameters were too low to lift the helicopter off of the ground, as indicated in the helicopter's operating procedures. The pilot reduced the throttle to idle and "within seconds, the helicopter had shaken itself apart." Postaccident testing revealed that all four landing gear dampers failed to meet the manufacturer's serviceable testing specifications, and two dampers were overcharged. Maintenance records indicated that the front dampers had been replaced with overhauled units about 10 months and about 534 flight hours before the accident. The aft dampers had been replaced with overhauled units about 7 months and about 280 flight hours before the accident. A review of the manufacturer's overhaul procedure for the landing gear dampers revealed that the procedure used by the overhaul facility did not include functional testing of the dampers following overhaul, which would have identified the out-of-specification condition before installation. Maintenance procedures required periodic inspection of the landing gear dampers, and the operator stated that the 100-hour inspection procedure was accomplished about 1 month before the accident. The mechanic who accomplished this inspection reported that he used the manufacturer's procedures to complete the inspection. However, the out-of-specification damper conditions were not detected. As a result of this and a similar accident (CEN12LA353), the helicopter manufacturer has committed to revising the overhaul manual to include testing procedures and criteria for overhauled landing gear dampers.
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
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Ground resonance during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Aux gear (tail/rotorcrft skid) › Damaged/degraded
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Aux gear (tail/rotorcrft skid) › Incorrect service/maintenance
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Scheduled/routine maintenance › Maintenance personnel
- factor Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Oversight › Oversight of personnel › Maintenance provider
- factor Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Documentation/record keeping › Maintenance records › Manufacturer
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 259 hours in all; 212 in this make and model; 8 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 240 as pilot in command; 8 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 11, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,720 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 17, 2012
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tyj Global
The flight
- Departed from: BJC Denver CO at 5:35 pm
- Destination: BJC Denver CO
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from KBJC
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.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.