Schweizer 269C accident near Madisonville, Kentucky, July 2, 2025
On July 2, 2025 at about 11:25 pm local time, a 2009 Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N21385, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Madisonville, Kentucky (Madisonville Regional Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to take the appropriate corrective action for ground resonance, which resulted in a loss of helicopter control.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 2025 · about 11:25 pm local time
- Place
- Madisonville, Kentucky · Madisonville Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C 1, built 2009 · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N21385 · registry record · serial 0356
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot reported that he hover taxied the helicopter to land on the ramp and executed a 180° pedal turn to face the center of the ramp. When the helicopter landed, he reduced the throttle to idle, and the helicopter began to shake. A flight instructor who was watching the landing from across the ramp communicated over the radio and via hand signals, telling the pilot to pick the helicopter up to a hover. The student pilot attempted to increase the throttle and increase collective to pick the helicopter back up to a hover, but the helicopter began to shake violently, and the student pilot reduced the collective but was unable to regain control. A review of a surveillance video provided by the operator revealed that the helicopter began to rock on its skids, rotated about 180°, and rolled over on its left side, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades, tail rotor blades, tail boom, and fuselage. The student pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Ground resonance during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 38 hours in all; 38 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0 in the last 30 days; 9 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,790.2 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 9, 2025; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-G1A (piston); 7,585 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2I0 Madisonville KY at 10:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 05/2, 6,051 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 86°F (30°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from OWB, 26 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KOWB 022256Z 29005KT 10SM FEW050 BKN070 30/18 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP147 T03000183
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA25LA255.