Schweizer 269 C-1 accident near Sunol, California, July 4, 2008
On July 4, 2008 at about 7:30 am local time, a Schweizer 269 C-1 (helicopter), registered N2011A, was destroyed in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Sunol, California (Reid-Hillview Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilots' failure to maintain adequate clearance from transmission wires during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident were the dark night and low fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 2008 · about 7:30 am local time
- Place
- Sunol, California · Reid-Hillview Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269 C-1 · all 269 C-1s on the register
- Registration
- N2011A · no longer on the register · serial 0016
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were on the return portion of a night cross-country flight to the airport where the helicopter was based. After refueling, the helicopter departed and flew a path over an interstate highway. Radar data showed the flight continued along the interstate for 3 miles varying between altitudes of 300 to 700 feet mean sea level toward the accident site. The last recorded altitudes of the helicopter were about 250 feet above the interstate. The tops of the surrounding hills were about 150 feet above the interstate, with transmission towers that extended an additional 120 feet above the hills. Witnesses observed the helicopter maneuvering low along the interstate under a heavy fog layer that was about 200 feet above ground level until it collided with the power lines. The CFI had most likely flown a similar flight path in night conditions about 3 months prior to the accident. The accident site was located in a small canyon where the power lines crossed the interstate at a near 45-degree angle, with colored balls on the highest wires. These were the only wires that cross over the interstate in the stretch of the canyon. The two transmission towers on either side of the interstate were not lit or marked. Examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The relevant Terminal Area Chart pictorially depicted a tower and the power lines, showing them crossing the interstate in the area of the accident site.
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
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Not specified
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Low ceiling › Not specified
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 589 hours in all; 264 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,496 hours in all; 670 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 644 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 20, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: C83 Byron CA at 6:30 pm
- Destination: RHV San Jose CA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 280° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 am from LVK, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.