Schweizer 269C-1 accident near Ozark, AL
On May 30, 2020, a Schweizer 269C-1 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Ozark, AL. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 30, 2020
- Place
- Ozark, AL
- Aircraft
- Schweizer 269C-1 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 31.441°N, 85.638°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200530X44435
Official records · ERA20LA197
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 30, 2020, about 1132 central daylight time, a Schweizer 269C-1 helicopter, N9421P was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Ozark, Alabama. The student pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 instructional flight. About 0900, on the day of the accident, the student pilot met his flight instructor at Eagle Aviation Academy, which was located at a private heliport in Midland, Alabama. According to the student pilot's flight instructor, prior to the lesson, the flight instructor pushed the helicopter out of the hangar and performed a preflight inspection. Afterwards, the flight instructor and the student pilot did a final weather check and then the instructor waited on the student pilot while the student pilot also conducted a preflight. When the student pilot was done with his preflight, they took off about 0906. They started off with confined area exercises including two steep approaches and two maximum performance takeoffs. Afterward, they came back to a grass field near the flight school and the flight instructor demonstrated one straight in autorotation, followed by the student pilot performing two straight in autorotations. Then they transitioned to another nearby field, and they did two, 180° autorotations. They landed back at the flight school about 1035 after about 1.4 hours of flight time. The flight instructor performed a post flight walk around and they "topped it off with fuel." The flight instructor then went into his office and waited for the student pilo
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the flight school’s inadequate maintenance of the helicopter’s fuel quantity and caution systems.
More accidents in AL
- Beech C99, Jul 10, 1991
- Cessna 421A, Jun 22, 1983
- Cessna 421C, Jul 9, 2011
- Piper PA 31, Aug 14, 2016
- Beech 95-B55B, Dec 5, 1992
Browse: Alabama · 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.
