Schweizer 269C accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, August 18, 1993
On August 18, 1993 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N95AF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Punta Gorda, Florida (Charlotte County airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S IMPROPER USE OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS (CYCLIC AND COLLECTIVE PITCH) DURING A SIMULATED AUTOROTATION WITH TURN, RESULTING IN AN IN FLIGHT COLLISION WITH TERRAIN WITH THE TAIL SKID AND TAILROTOR BLADES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1993 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Punta Gorda, Florida · Charlotte County · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N95AF · registry record · serial S1574
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) WAS DEMONSTRATING A SIMULATED AUTOROTATION WITH TURN TO A RATED PRIVATE PILOT. A FLARE WAS INITIATED AT ABOUT 50 FEET AGL, INITIAL COLLECTIVE PITCH WAS APPLIED AT 15 TO 20 FEET AGL, WHEN A NOISE DESCRIBED AS A POP WAS HEARD BY BOTH CREWMEMBERS. THE TAIL SKID AND TAILROTOR BLADES COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AS THE CFI INCREASED COLLECTIVE PITCH TO TERMINATE THE AUTOROTATION AT A HOVER. THE HELICOPTER STARTED TO SPIN TO THE RIGHT. THE CFI APPLIED LEFT ANTI-TORQUE PEDAL AND ROLLED THE THROTTLE OFF TO THE IDLE STOP. THE HELICOPTER CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP UPRIGHT ON THE SKIDS. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER BY AN AUTHORIZED REPAIR STATION REVEALED ALL DAMAGE WAS A RESULT OF GROUND IMPACT. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY PRECRASH FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE TAILROTOR GEARBOX OR ASSOCIATED COMPONENTS.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 720 hours in all; 116 in this make and model; 72 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days; 508 as pilot in command; 173 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 342 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 9, 1993; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-DIA (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Helicopter Tng Academy INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 8 knots
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:47 pm from FMY, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N95AF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 MIA93LA177.