Schweizer 269C accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, October 15, 1997
On October 15, 1997 at about 2:26 am local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N557DC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's inadequate preflight planning which resulted in a low fuel state, and his inability to see the wire which the helicopter contacted. Factors associated to the accident were the precautionary landing, the dark night conditions, and the wire which was contacted.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 1997 · about 2:26 am local time
- Place
- Grand Forks, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N557DC · registry record · serial S-1630
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he knew he was low on fuel during the last leg of a cross country flight. The low fuel light illuminated when he was 9.5 miles from the destination airport. The pilot elected to make a precautionary landing. The light went off during the landing descent. The pilot continued the descent at which time he felt a yaw to the right. Suspecting an engine failure, he initiated a 'hovering autorotation' only to discover he still had engine power. He reported he regained control of the helicopter and continued the landing. It was later determined that the helicopter contacted an electrical wire which ran across a nearby road.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 219 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 105 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,840 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 3, 1997; 86 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PKD Park Rapids MN
- Destination: GFK
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 180° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.
Other NTSB records under N557DC 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.