Schweizer 269C accident near Ormond Beach, Florida, February 21, 2017
On February 21, 2017 at about 5:37 pm local time, a 1998 Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N614TA, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Ormond Beach, Florida (Ormond Beach Muni 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
The separation of the throttle cable’s outer housing from the inner housing at the throttle linkage while at a high-power setting, which prevented the pilot from being able to control the throttle and execute a proper landing flare and resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 21, 2017 · about 5:37 pm local time
- Place
- Ormond Beach, Florida · Ormond Beach Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C 1, built 1998 · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N614TA · no longer on the register · serial 0080
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor of the helicopter reported that, about halfway through the flight, he "discovered that the throttle control was inoperative" and stuck in the high rpm setting. He turned the helicopter back to the departure airport and briefed his student on the situation. Upon being cleared to land, he executed a "running landing" and performed a go-around on the first try. On the second try, the skids made hard contact with the runway, and the helicopter came to a stop. A postaccident examination revealed that the helicopter had sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that the throttle cable outer housing separated from the inner solid housing at the throttle linkage and that the internal wire could flex outside of the housing.
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
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute defining event
- Hard landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine controls › Power lever › Malfunction
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Attain/maintain not possible
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,175 hours in all; 630 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 1,070 as pilot in command; 550 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 13, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 118 hours in all; 118 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 21 in the last 30 days; 35 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 19, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,655.1 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, January 6, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HO-360 (piston); 5,655 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OMN Ormond Beach FL at 4:45 pm
- Destination: OMN Ormond Beach FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 8, 4,005 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 5:37 pm from KOMN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 4, 2017. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident Photos (Courtesy of Operator) | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.