Schweizer 269C-1 accident near Brentwood, California, June 5, 2000
On June 5, 2000 at about 11:00 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C-1 (helicopter), registered N2029H, was substantially damaged in an accident near Brentwood, California. 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's improper execution of a quick-stop maneuver in that he misjudged his altitude and failed to terminate at a stationary hover prior to descending to a low hover. This resulted in an excessive engine power requirement and the student improperly coordinated the use of the collective and anti-torque controls.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 5, 2000 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Brentwood, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C-1 · all 269C-1s on the register
- Registration
- N2029H · no longer on the register · serial 0100
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The solo student pilot was practicing quick stop maneuvers. He reported that, during one maneuver, the helicopter was nearly stopped in a high hover at 30 feet agl, and he was descending to low hover when the helicopter started vibrating and yawed to the left. The controls became ineffective and the helicopter started spinning around until it impacted the ground and then rolled on its side. When examined after the accident, the main rotor blades exhibited modest leading edge damage, modest chordwise striations, and approximately 20 degrees of uniform root-to-tip upward bending deformation. One tail rotor blade was undamaged and the other was bent about 10 degrees tip-inboard at the midspan. The engine was started and ran smoothly. No preaccident mechanical anomalies were noted.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 87 hours in all; 60 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 21 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 395 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 26, 2000; 96 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,750 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CCR Concord CA at 9:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 162°F (72°C), dew point 126°F (52°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.