# Accident 20170726010079A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Santa Ana, CA, July 26, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 26, 2017, 19:55 local time
- Place: Santa Ana, CA
- Airport: John Wayne Airport-Orange Coun
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: 1OBA
- Location: 33.6756° N, 117.8683° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6756&lon=-117.8683&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7535G (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,298 total, 656 in this make and model, 147 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR17LA167](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17LA167) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170726010079A

## Narrative

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

PILOT OF HELICOPTER WAS IN A HOVERING TAKE OFF APPROX 20 TO 30 FEET AGL AND WAS TRANSITIONING FROM HOVER TO FORWARD CLIMBING FLIGHT WHEN THE HELICOPTER BANKED RAPIDLY TO THE RIGHT AND CONTACTED THE GROUND WITH THE MAIN ROTOR. THE HELICOPTER THEN ROTATED RAPIDLY IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTION AND THE TAIL ROTOR STUCK THE GROUND AND BROKE OFF THE HELICOPTER, FOLLOWED BY SEVERAL ROTATIONS BEFORE COMING TO REST ON THE SKIDS. VIDEO SECURITY RECORDING DISPLAYS WHAT APPEARS TO BE A DOOR OPENING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HELICOPTER JUST PRIOR TO THE RAPID RIGHT BANKING OF THE HELICOPTER. APPEARS THE PILOT MAY HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED BY DOOR OPENING OR WAS TRYING TO CLOSE THE DOOR AND INADVERTENTLY INPUT EXCESSIVE RIGHT CYCLIC CAUSING THE RAPID BANK TO THE RIGHT AND DID NOT HAVE TIME TO RECOVER BEFORE STRIKING THE GROUND WITH THE MAIN ROTOR.

## 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 WPR17LA167](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR17LA167), Jul 27, 2017: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N7535G), Santa Ana, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control while maneuvering during takeoff.

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.

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