# Incident 20230417003199I: Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA, Mertzon, TX, April 17, 2023

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 17, 2023, 17:30 local time
- Place: Mertzon, TX
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 31.2620° N, 100.8208° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Mertzon, TX, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.2620&lon=-100.8208&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7196W, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7196W) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA (registry code 7640110, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r22-beta) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O&VO-360 series (registry code 41514, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-vo-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 14,000 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230417003199I

## Narrative

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

ON APRIL 17, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 1730, A ROBINSON R22 HELICOPTER BEARING REGISTRATION NUMBER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, SUSTAINED DAMAGE TO ITS MAIN ROTOR BLADES WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL ON THE GROUND THREW A ROCK AT THE HELICOPTER AT A LOCATION ON US HIGHWAY 67, APPROXIMATELY 6 MILES WEST OF MERTZON, TX.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED ON AN AERIAL OBSERVATION FLIGHT.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE, AND THE PILOT SUSTAINED NO INJURIES.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM MERTZON, TX ON APRIL 17, 2023 AT APPROXIMATELY 1715.

## Other reports on N7196W (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Accident 20020606012639A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020606012639A), Jun 6, 2002: Robsin R22BETA (N7196W), Las Vegas, NV, Substantial damage. (-23) On June 6, 2002, at approximately 1100 PDT, N7196W (R-22 helicopter) piloted by CFI chad fath, was conducting dual instruction on autorotations to power…

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.