# Accident 20121027024039A: Robinson Helicopter Company R22 MARINER, Lake Havasu Cit, AZ, October 27, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 27, 2012, 14:00 local time
- Place: Lake Havasu Cit, AZ
- Airport: Lake Havasu City
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 34.4239° N, 114.2975° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=34.4239&lon=-114.2975&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2627M, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2627M) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R22 MARINER (registry code 7640115, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r22-mariner) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R22 MARINER
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 1,000 total, 940 in this make and model, 120 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR13LA025](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13LA025) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121027024039A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

COMMERCIAL PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS OPERATING THE ROBINSON R-22 HELICOPTER, FOR THE BOATPIX COMPANY, OVER THE SOUTH LAKE HAVASU AREA FOR THE PURPOSE OF OBTAINING PHOTOGRAPHS OF VARIOUS PRIVATELY OWNED WATER CRAFT.  SUBSEQUENT RETAIL REVENUE WOULD BE POTENTIALLY GENERATED FROM THESE PHOTOGRAPHS. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED TO NTSB INVESTIGATOR MICHAEL HUHN AND MOJAVE SHERRIFF CINDY HALE THAT HE PILOTED THE HELICOPTER AT LOW LEVEL, PARALLEL AND ADJACENT TO A TARGET VESSEL.  ONCE OVERTAKING AND PASSING ACROSS THE BOW, THE HELICOPTER COURSE WOULD BE REVERSED PROVIDING PHOTOGRAPHIC EXPOSURE TO THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE VESSEL.  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATES THAT DURING ONE OF THESE COURSE REVERSALS HE UNEXPECTEDLY ENTERED A SETTLING WITH POWER DECENT AND WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT THE SITUATION APPROPRIATELY, INADVERTENTLY STALLING THE MAIN ROTOR SYSTEM AND FALLING INTO THE WATER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB WPR13LA025](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR13LA025), Oct 27, 2012: Robinson Helicopter R22 Mariner (N2627M), Lake Havasu, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s unintentional and unrecognized entry into a vortex ring state as a result of conducting a course reversal turn into a tailwind while at a low altitude and airspeed, which resulted in an…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.