Schweizer 269C-1 accident near Titusville, Florida, July 10, 2023
On July 10, 2023 at about 2:35 pm local time, a 2009 Schweizer 269C-1 (helicopter), registered N21409, was substantially damaged in an accident during standing near Titusville, Florida (Space Coast Regional Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control while on the ground when his attention was diverted for post flight activities.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 2023 · about 2:35 pm local time
- Place
- Titusville, Florida · Space Coast Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C-1, built 2009 · all 269C-1s on the register
- Registration
- N21409 · no longer on the register · serial 0365
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After completion of a local solo flight, the student pilot was conducting the engine cooling shutdown procedure on the dry ramp when the helicopter suddenly became airborne, climbed about 30ft, and entered a nose down attitude impacting the ground. The helicopter came to rest upright, and the pilot was able to egress from the helicopter without further incident. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor system, the tail boom, and the tail rotor system. The student pilot reported that he had engaged both the cyclic and collective friction prior to completing other post flight activities. Postaccident examination of the helicopter showed the collective friction to not be fully engaged. The friction was found at an approximate 90-degree angle to the collective lever, which corresponds to the friction not being fully engaged. The helicopter pilot’s flight manual states that the collective friction is to be on for the engine cooling shutdown procedure. No preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal flight operation were reported.
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
- Loss of control on ground during standing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 36 hours in all
- Last flight review: June 16, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,947 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, January 13, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-G1A (piston); 3,726 hours total
- Operator: US Aviation Training Solutions
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 91°F (33°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 10:47 am from KTIX
Weather report (METAR): KTIX 101447Z 24009KT 7SM SCT028 33/24 A3002
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on October 5, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo Array | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Schweizer Pilot Flight Manual Excerpt | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N21409 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.