Schweizer 269C accident near Jetmore, Kansas, July 27, 1999
On July 27, 1999 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N88007, was substantially damaged in an accident near Jetmore, Kansas. It was a personal 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 use of improper procedures by not following the helicopter manufacturer's recommended engine RPM reduction procedures during autorotations. A factor was the pilot not attaining the proper rotor RPM during the autorotation practice.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 27, 1999 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Jetmore, Kansas · 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
- N88007 · registry record · serial S1546
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said he was going to practice an auto rotation. He said he '...rolled the throttle back to idle position and dropped the collective...[and]noted a red light on the dash and could hear the engine had quit running.' He said the subsequent auto rotation '...terminated in a hard landing.' The on-scene investigation revealed flight and powerplant control operational continuity and fuel in the accident helicopter's fuel tanks. The engine was test run and its low idle was 1,300 rpm. According to a representative from a company that maintains and rebuilds helicopters like that of the accident helicopter, '...it is possible for an engine to die when a rapid roll-off of [the] throttle is accomplished and too low an idle RPM setting exists.' The FAA Approved Flight Manual said that the pilot should 'Split the needles by lowering the collective while maintaining throttle setting. The throttle correlation will establish a high idle RPM (approximately 2500 RPM) and will prevent the engine from loading up or stalling on recovery.'
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: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 850 hours in all; 645 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 23 in the last 30 days; 445 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 907 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 7, 1999; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming H10-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HYS Hayes KS at 9:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 97°F (36°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from DCC, 25 miles away
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 N88007 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.