Schweizer 269-C accident near Ormond Beach, Florida, April 8, 1998
On April 8, 1998 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Schweizer 269-C (helicopter), registered N7509E, was substantially damaged in an accident near Ormond Beach, Florida (Ormond Beach Municipal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The CFI's inadequate supervision and poor communication which led the rated student pilot to roll the throttle off, and the CFI's subsequent failure to apply forward cyclic to increase airspeed which resulted in the subsequent hard landing and roll over.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 1998 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Ormond Beach, Florida · Ormond Beach Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269-C · all 269-Cs on the register
- Registration
- N7509E · no longer on the register · serial 1436
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The CFI stated he was asking the rated pilot questions as the rated pilot was making a steep approach at 300 feet and about 35 knots airspeed. He asked the pilot receiving instruction if he could roll the throttle off. The rated pilot replied, 'roll the throttle off' and immediately rolled the throttle off. The CFI noticed an immediate drop in rotor rpm, and took over the flight controls with the helicopter in a vertical rate of descent. He lowered the collective pitch in an attempt to regain rotor rpm, but did not apply forward cyclic to increase airspeed due to low altitude. The helicopter collided with the sod area hard, and rolled over onto its left side.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 788 hours in all; 345 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 731 as pilot in command; 451 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,291 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 28, 1998; 46 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OMN at 3:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 8 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from DAB, 6 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.
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.