Schweizer 269D accident near Stewartstown, Pennsylvania, July 14, 2018

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The pilot reported that he made an uneventful approach into the 8-to-10 knot wind nearly directly down the runway. While operating the helicopter out of ground effect about 15 to 20 ft above ground level and about 10 to 20 knots, he began to apply left antitorque pedal to start to hover. With wind from the right, the helicopter then started turning clockwise; he applied left antitorque pedal, which did not stop the rotation, and the helicopter completed about 12 turns before impacting the ground. The passenger recalled the helicopter spinning clockwise and coming to rest on its left side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, horizontal stabilizer, and rotor blades. The pilot did not recall reducing throttle or lowering collective during the accident sequence. Postaccident examination of the tail rotor flight control and drive system revealed no evidence of preimpact failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. Although the tail rotor control cable tension was about 2 lbs, or about 3%, less than the helicopter manufacturer’s specifications, that discrepancy would not affect operation of the tail rotor. Given this information, it is likely that the pilot was unable to stop the yaw and lost control of the helicopter due to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness.

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.

Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them

Photo 1 – FAA Digital Photograph. View of the Top Portion of the Helicopter Resting on Its Left Side.

The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.