Schweizer 269C accident near Riverside, California, May 24, 2019
On May 24, 2019 at about 8:45 pm local time, a 1988 Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N269P, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Riverside, California (Riverside Muni airport). It was an instructional 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 student pilot's failure to maintain yaw control and the engine's rpm during transition to a hover, which resulted in hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2019 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Riverside, California · Riverside Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C Undesignat, built 1988 · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N269P · no longer on the register · serial S1328
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The day of the accident, the student pilot had flown three takeoffs and landings in the pattern with the instructor. After the third landing, the instructor exited the helicopter and authorized the student to perform her third flight solo. The student accomplished the before takeoff checks and increased the throttle, and as she increased the collective pitch, she felt an "abnormal vibration," but she decided to continue with the flight. She increased the collective and applied left pedal, and the helicopter ascended, but the nose yawed rapidly left. The student noted that the engine rpm had increased, and she lowered the collective. The left skid contacted the ground hard, followed by the right skid, and the student then decreased power, shut down the engine, and exited the helicopter. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the aft skid tube cross-member. The student reported that several mechanical malfunctions existed with the helicopter during previous flights. Although examination of the helicopter and the operator's maintenance logbooks revealed that there were maintenance deficiencies that were incorrectly annotated, postaccident examination revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. After the accident, the operator implemented a policy to document and clear all future maintenance discrepancies associated with helicopters in their fleet.
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
- Unknown or undetermined during maneuvering (hover)
- Hard landing during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Powerplant parameters › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Yaw control › Not attained/maintained
- Organizational issues › Management › Policy/procedure › Adequacy of policy/proc › Operator
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 69 hours in all; 15 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,109.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 1, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 2,110 hours total
- Operator: Western Helicopters, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: RAL Riverside CA at 7:45 pm
- Destination: RAL Riverside CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway H1, 60 ft by 60 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KRAL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on November 29, 2019. 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 | Student Pilot's Statement -1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Student Pilot's Statement -2 | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Operator's Policy Change Notification | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | 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.