Schweizer 269C accident near Medford, NJ
On September 8, 2017, a Schweizer 269C (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Medford, NJ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 8, 2017
- Place
- Medford, NJ
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.934°N, 74.807°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170908X43517
Official records · ERA17FA317
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On September 8, 2017, about 1300 eastern daylight time, a Schweizer 269C-1 helicopter, N204HF, was substantially damaged during a collision with terrain while performing a forced landing to runway 01 at Flying W Airport (N14), Medford, New Jersey. The commercial pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The helicopter was owned by Herlihy Helicopters Inc and operated by Helicopter Flight Services under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight. According to the chief flight instructor for the operator, the purpose of the flight was to provide an orientation/pleasure flight to the passenger, who was scheduled to perform in a concert on the airport later that evening. Several minutes after takeoff, the pilot reported over the airport UNICOM frequency that he was unable to control engine rpm with throttle inputs. He reported that he could "roll" the twist-grip but that there was no corresponding change in engine rpm when he did so. The company flight instructor and another helicopter flight instructor, who was a designated pilot examiner (DPE), were monitoring the frequency and engaged the pilot in conversation about potential courses of action to accomplish a landing. A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, who was also a helicopter instructor and examiner, joined the conversation on the radio. Options discussed included a shallow approach to a run-on landing or a power-off, autorotational descent to landing. The instructors
Probable cause
The pilot's early entry into and failure to maintain rotor rpm during a forced landing autorotation after performing an engine shutdown in flight, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent. Contributing to the accident was the failure of maintenance personnel to properly rig the throttle control tie-rod assembly, which resulted in an in-flight separation of the assembly and rendered control of eng
From Wikipedia
On 8 September 2017, a Schweizer 269C helicopter crashed after an uncontrolled descent during a power-off landing attempt at the Flying W Airport in Medford, New Jersey, United States. The aircraft had experienced engine trouble during a local sightseeing flight for the benefit of passenger Troy Gentry, cofounder and member of American country music duo Montgomery Gentry, which was scheduled to perform at a resort at the airport later that day. The pilot died at the scene; Gentry was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital.
Text from Wikipedia, “2017 New Jersey helicopter crash”, CC BY-SA 4.0; shortened to the introduction. Authors.
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Browse: New Jersey · 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.
