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GAA16CA045

2015-11-04 · Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport MPO

Current FAA registration · N21496

Make / Model
SCHWEIZER 269C-1
Year of manufacture
2009 · 6 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING HIO-360-G1A (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
3 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20090514
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A1CC10

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's failure to remove the tension applied to the cyclic before takeoff, which resulted in a loss of directional control and the tail rotor striking the ground.

Factual narrative

The solo student helicopter pilot reported that during flight in the traffic pattern, her noise canceling headset malfunctioned, and she landed on the grass adjacent to the runway to troubleshoot the issue. After landing, she "locked the collective down" and "put some tension on the cyclic." Subsequently, the headset began to function, so she removed the friction on the the collective and applied power for hover flight, forgetting there was still tension applied to the cyclic. When power was applied, the student pilot reported that she did not have enough cyclic control and the helicopter hovered backwards and the tail rotor struck the ground. The tail rotor drive shaft was substantially damaged. The student pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student helicopter pilot reported that during flight in the traffic pattern, her noise canceling headset malfunctioned, and she landed on the grass adjacent to the runway to troubleshoot the issue. After landing, she "locked the collective down" and "put some tension on the cyclic." Subsequently, the headset began to function, so she removed the friction on the the collective and applied power for hover flight, forgetting there was still tension applied to the cyclic. When power was applied, the student pilot reported that she did not have enough cyclic control and the helicopter hovered backwards and the tail rotor struck the ground. The tail rotor drive shaft was substantially damaged. The student pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Forgotten action/omission-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Attain/maintain not possible - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_GAA16CA045.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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