Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper flare with a high descent rate, which resulted in a hard landing.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
After a local flight, the helicopter landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The postaccident examination of the helicopter did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot did not maintain awareness of the helicopter's descent rate and airspeed during the landing flare, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source record
Factual narrative
On March 29, 2013, about 1445 eastern daylight time, a Schweizer 269C-1 helicopter, N2065P, experienced a hard landing at the Burke Lakefront Airport (KBKL), Cleveland, Ohio. The private pilot was not injured and the helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to and operated by JW Helicopter LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. The local flight departed KBKL at an unknown time. According to information collected by the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilot did not compensate for the helicopter's descent rate during the flare and the helicopter landed hard. Substantial damage was sustained to the fuselage. The pilot reportedly had accumulated an estimated 80 hours of total time. The pilot had not submitted a completed NTSB Form 6120 prior to the completion of the report.