Schweizer 269C accident near Ontario, California, March 22, 1996
On March 22, 1996 at about 11:24 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N155T, was destroyed in an accident near Ontario, California. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's decision to attempt a VFR descent into instrument meteorological conditions resulting in spatial disorientation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1996 · about 11:24 pm local time
- Place
- Ontario, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N155T · registry record · serial S1714
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The non instrument rated private pilot contacted ATC while in VFR conditions on top of an overcast cloud layer and in proximity of mountains. After acknowledging instructions to maintain VFR, the pilot informed the controller that he was descending to his destination. The helicopter impacted mountainous terrain at the 4,600 foot (msl) elevation level. Weather at the nearest reporting point, 8 miles south of the accident site, included a 2,900 foot msl broken cloud layer and a 4,900 foot msl overcast cloud layer. The person who refueled the helicopter at the departure point reported that the pilot appeared anxious to get to his destination.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 367 hours in all; 293 in this make and model; 235 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 150 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 26, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: L26 Hesperia CA at 11:00 pm
- Destination: POC La Verne CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:47 pm from ONT, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.