Schweizer 269C accident near Titusville, Florida, March 19, 2013
On March 19, 2013 at about 10:30 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N2099S, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Titusville, Florida (Space Coast Regional Arpt 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
An engine failure due to the separation of the engine crankcase, which resulted from the lateral movement of the center main bearing and the subsequent blocking of the oil feed hole that supplied oil to the No. 2 connecting rod, which then led to its failure due to oil starvation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 2013 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Titusville, Florida · Space Coast Regional Arpt · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C 1 · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N2099S · no longer on the register · serial 0345
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Shortly after takeoff, the student pilot notified an air traffic controller that the helicopter was vibrating and requested to return to the airport. The flight instructor reported that, about 1/2-mile east of the airport, he and the pilot heard a loud "bang." In response, the student pilot lowered the collective and then the flight instructor took over the controls and entered an autorotation. The helicopter touched down hard on a road, which resulted in substantial damage to the tailboom and diagonal strut. Postaccident examinations revealed that the engine crankcase was breached and that the No. 2 cylinder rod had failed. Further examinations of the engine revealed evidence that the center main bearing had spun in the bore and moved laterally. This movement covered the oil feed hole that supplied oil to the No. 2 connection rod and led to its failure due to oil starvation.
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
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during initial climb defining event
- Autorotation Off-field or emergency landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › (general) › Failure
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 626 hours in all; 365 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 550 as pilot in command; 393 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 6, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 163 hours in all; 163 in this make and model; 115 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 6, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,284 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 13, 2013; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-G1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Bristow Academy INC
The flight
- Departed from: TIX Titusville FL at 10:28 pm
- Destination: TIX Titusville FL
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 10:30 pm from TIX, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
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.