Schweizer 269C 1 N21496 accident near Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania

Probable cause

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.

NTSB analysis

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.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for GAA16CA045 for the full record.