Schweizer 269C accident near Arcadia, Florida, October 28, 1988
On October 28, 1988 at about 1:45 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N75068, was substantially damaged in an accident near Arcadia, Florida (Arcadia Muni airport). It was an aerial observation 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 28, 1988 · about 1:45 pm local time · cases in 1988
- Place
- Arcadia, Florida · Arcadia Muni · cases near this airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N75068 · registry record · serial S1323
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER MAKING AN APCH TO 'THE NUMBERS' ON RWY 5, THE PLT DECELERATED THE HELICOPTER & BEGAN TO AIR TAXI TO THE REFUELING AREA. SUBSQUENTLY, WHILE DECELERATING AND/OR WHILE TAXIING, THE TAIL ROTOR COLLIDED WITH TERRAIN.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,871 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 300 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days; 1,805 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 352 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 12, 1988; 71 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EMY Fort Myers FL at 12:35 pm
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 5, 3,700 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from FMY, 36 miles away
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.
Other NTSB records under N75068 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N75068 on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Schweizer 269 300 series helicopters 212 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Schweizer 1,187 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A 41 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Arcadia Municipal · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Florida 6,111 since 1982 · 989 in the last ten years
- Florida 21,712 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N75068 3 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/MIA89LA018.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.