Schweizer 269C accident near Elmira, New York, December 18, 1992
On December 18, 1992 at about 8:20 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N6129Q, was substantially damaged in an accident near Elmira, New York (Elmira airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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
AN UNSTABLE TOUCHDOWN WHICH RESULTED IN A ROLLOVER, INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE PIC, AND FAILURE OF THE PIC TO TAKE CONTROL OF THE HELICOPTER IN A TIMELY MANNER. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LEFT SEAT PILOT'S LACK OF RECENT EXPERIENCE IN TOUCHDOWN AUTOROTATIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 1992 · about 8:20 pm local time
- Place
- Elmira, New York · Elmira
- 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
- N6129Q · registry record · serial S1629
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HELICOPTER WAS ON A NEW AIRCRAFT ACCEPTANCE FLIGHT TEST WITH TWO PILOTS ON BOARD. THE LEFT SEAT PILOT REPRESENTED THE PURCHASER AND THE RIGHT SEAT PILOT WAS A COMPANY PILOT AND WAS DESIGNATED PILOT IN COMMAND. THEY WERE PRACTICING A TOUCHDOWN AUTOROTATION. DURING TOUCHDOWN, BOTH PILOTS WERE ON THE CONTROLS AND THE HELICOPTER TOUCHED DOWN IN A RIGHT DRIFT AND WITH THE RIGHT SKID LOWER. AT TOUCHDOWN, THE HELICOPTER ROLLED TO THE RIGHT AND CAME TO REST ON ITS SIDE. NO TRANSFER OF CONTROL PROCEDURES HAD BEEN ESTABLISHED BEFORE TAKEOFF. LEFT SEAT PILOT HAD GONE 13 MONTHS WITHOUT PERFORMING TOUCHDOWN AUTOROTATIONS IN THIS TYPE OF HELICOPTER.
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: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,864 hours in all; 592 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 4,578 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 17, 1992; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,150 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Schweizer Aircraft CORP
The flight
- Departed from: ELM at 7:30 pm
- Destination: ELM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 6, 2,020 ft by 180 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
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 N6129Q the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.