# Accident 20210930016559A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Phoenix, AZ, September 30, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 30, 2021, 08:50 local time
- Place: Phoenix, AZ
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 33.7565° N, 112.0354° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7565&lon=-112.0354&mi=10
- Aircraft: N74706, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N74706-2023-04-29) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (registry code 7640122, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 58 total, 58 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR21LA359](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA359) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210930016559A

## Narrative

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

A STUDENT PILOT, ON A SOLO FLIGHT, FLYING HIS SECOND PATTERN DEPARTURE FROM A HOVER OVER THE PRACTICE AREA EXECUTED HIS TURN AND THE WIND SHIFTED CAUSING THE HELICOPTER TO SPIN ABRUPTLY.  PEDAL INPUTS DID NOT CORRECT THE SPIN, PILOT PULLED COLLECTIVE TO GAIN SOME ALTITUDE, APPROXIMATELY 20-30 FEET AGL, IN AN ATTEMPT TO SLOW THE SPIN BUT THIS EXAGGERATED THE SPIN TO WHAT THE PILOT STATED WAS AN UNCORRECTABLE RATE.  HE INCREASED ALTITUDE TO APPROXIMATELY 50-60 FEET IN A FURTHER ATTEMPT TO GET THE SPIN UNDER CONTROL TO NO AVAIL.  ULTIMATELY, HE DECIDED TO AUTO-ROTATE WHILE ATTEMPTING TO KEEP THE HELICOPTER IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO IMPACT THE GROUND AT A RAPID RATE.

## 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 WPR21LA359](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR21LA359), Sep 30, 2021: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N74706), Phoenix, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control while making a clearing turn which resulted in a hard landing.

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.