Schweizer 269C accident near Newberg, Oregon, November 21, 2007
On November 21, 2007 at about 6:10 pm local time, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter), registered N61480, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newberg, Oregon. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot's inadvertent application of the fuel shut off valve during flight. Contributing to the accident were the locations of the heater and fuel shutoff controls.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 2007 · about 6:10 pm local time
- Place
- Newberg, Oregon · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C · all 269Cs on the register
- Registration
- N61480 · no longer on the register · serial S1765
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot was initiating a cross-country flight. As the helicopter entered cruise flight, the student pilot intended to apply the cabin heater control; however, he inadvertently applied the fuel shut off control. Moments later, the engine lost power and the student pilot performed an autorotation and the helicopter landed hard. The student pilot had been training in two models of the same make of helicopter and heaters had been installed (supplemental type certificate) by the operator. The accident helicopter was flown from the left seat and the fuel shut off control was installed on the left side of the instrument panel, with the heater control on the far right side. The other helicopter was flown from the right seat with the fuel shut off control on the right side and the heater control to its left side. Pull-type knobs operate the heater and fuel shut off controls. The helicopter manufacturer offers the heater installation as an optional, after market installation, and its heater control is installed on the front of the center seat area and not on the instrument panel. The manufacturer's heater control is also operated using side-to-side motion for "ON" and "OFF" positions. No evidence of any preimpact mechanical anomalies was discovered.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 31 hours in all; 31 in this make and model; 31 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,309.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,050 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Textron Lycoming HIO-360-D1A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 17S Newberg OR at 6:05 pm
- Destination: 4S9 Portland-Mulino OR
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.40 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MMV, 8 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.
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.