Schweizer 269C accident near Collinsville, California, January 4, 2003
On January 4, 2003 at about 11:32 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N98TH, was destroyed in an accident near Collinsville, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the pilot's failure to maintain main rotor rpm during the subsequent autorotation. A factor in the accident was the unsuitable nature of the terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 2003 · about 11:32 pm local time
- Place
- Collinsville, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N98TH · registry record · serial S1760
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was in normal cruise flight when it suddenly descended steeply into a shallow tidal marsh/swamp area. Two witnesses in a boat observed the helicopter flying about 500 feet above the terrain and water. One reported seeing it in normal straight and level flight while over the water. The witness described the engine sound as "tinny." The helicopter suddenly turned toward land, the engine sound became quiet, and it descended rapidly to the ground. The other witness reported that his attention was drawn to the helicopter when he heard a "pop" followed by a grinding noise. He noticed that the rotors were slowing down as the helicopter dropped while in a left-hand turn or rotation. Examination of the rotor blades revealed evidence of low rotor energy at impact. The engine was removed from the airframe, cleaned, and then installed on an instrumented test cell where it was test run for 50 minutes at various power levels according to a factory acceptance test protocol with no abnormalities detected. Continuity was established throughout the control system, the fuel delivery system, and the drive train to the main and tail rotors. On the day of the accident, the accident pilot's partner in the helicopter discussed an erratic fuel pressure issue with an aviation maintenance technician (AMT) at the FAA Approved Repair Station where the helicopter was parked and serviced. The discrepancy was not resolved at the time the pilot departed on the accident flight. There is no verified evidence that the pilot was aware of the discrepancy.
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
- LOSS OF ENGINE POWER during cruise
- FORCED LANDING during descent - emergency
- LOSS OF CONTROL - IN FLIGHT during descent - emergency
- IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN/WATER during descent - uncontrolled
Pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land, AME, ASE, APLN, helicopter
- Flight time: 5,360 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: class 3
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 663 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, December 1, 2002; 26 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operating certificate: in the vicinity
The flight
- Departed from: CCR Concord CA at 10:30 pm
- Destination: CCR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 2 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°C, dew point 55°C
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from SUU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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 LAX03FA060.