Schweizer 269C accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, June 17, 2006
On June 17, 2006, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N1675U, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota (Grand Forks Intl 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 dual student's failure to maintain rotor speed during the recovery from the intentional autorotation and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action. Contributing factors were the flight crew's intentional autorotation and dual student's misjudged flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 17, 2006
- Place
- Grand Forks, North Dakota · Grand Forks Intl · 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
- N1675U · no longer on the register · serial S1878
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was substantially damaged when the tail rotor struck the taxiway during recovery from an intentional autorotation. The flight instructor and commercial pilot (dual student) were not injured. The flight instructor stated that the instructional flight included 180-degree autorotations, which were terminated into a hover with the addition of engine power. He reported that on the first autorotation the dual student flared high and during the recovery the rotor speed decayed requiring a landing on the taxiway. He noted that the dual student was subsequently instructed to increase engine power as collective was increased during the recovery in order to maintain rotor speed. On the second autorotation, he stated that the dual student flared lower and a "little more aggressively." He noted that as the dual student increased the collective, the rotor speed again decayed. The flight instructor stated that "as the collective continued upward the engine and rotor [speed] decreased." He "intervened on the controls and continued to increase the collective and throttle and level the aircraft, [when] the tail struck the taxiway." The flight instructor subsequently landed the helicopter after noting an airframe vibration. The flight instructor reported no malfunctions or failures prior to the accident.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: gyroplane; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: gyroplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,831 hours in all; 270 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days; 4,665 as pilot in command; 3,117 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 280 hours in all; 47 in this make and model; 50 in the last 90 days; 18 in the last 30 days; 44 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 480 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, May 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming H10-360-O1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GFK Grand Forks ND at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.90 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N1675U 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.