Schweizer 269C accident near Topeka, KS
On June 13, 2000, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Topeka, KS. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 13, 2000
- Place
- Topeka, KS
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 39.021°N, 95.701°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001212X21168
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 13, 2000, at 0007 central daylight time, a Schweizer 269C helicopter, N9488F, operated by the City of Topeka, Kansas, Police Department, was destroyed when it departed controlled flight and impacted the terrain. A post crash fire ensued. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was being conducted as public use under 14 CFR Part 91. No flight plan was on file. The police pilot and observer on board the helicopter were fatally injured. The local flight originated at the Phillip Billard Municipal Airport, Topeka, Kansas, on June 12, 2000, at 2300. At the time of the accident, the helicopter, Topeka Police Department Unit 400, was providing airborne surveillance support to a Topeka police officer ground unit, Unit 448, which had responded to an alarm at Lowe's, a building materials supply store located at 1622 Southwest (SW) Arvonia Place. The Officer-in-Charge of the Police Helicopter Unit said that for a call as this, the pilot would push the speed up en route to get there as soon as possible. The altitude en route would be 500 feet above ground level (agl). As the helicopter approached the area, the pilot would descend to approximately 200 feet agl. On arrival, the helicopter would enter a right-hand turning orbit, so that the observer in the right seat could position the bottom-mounted forward looking infrared camera (FLIR) so as to observe parts of the building where a suspect might be, on his monitor. On entering the orbit, the pilot would reduce his airspeed to 50 knots. At 0004:09, Unit 448, in t
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain translational lift while maneuvering, and the loss of tail rotor effectiveness. Factors relating to this accident were the tailwind, low airspeed, low rotor rpm, and the pilot's lack of overall experience in helicopters.
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Browse: Kansas · Schweizer aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
