# Accident 20230831020299A: Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA, Princeton, NJ, August 31, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 31, 2023, 15:24 local time
- Place: Princeton, NJ
- Airport: Princeton Airport
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.3726° N, 74.6198° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.3726&lon=-74.6198&mi=10
- Aircraft: N2356M, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N2356M) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA (registry code 7640110, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r22-beta) (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 R22 BETA
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-320 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA23FA357](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA357) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230831020299A

## Narrative

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

AIRMAN WAS PRACTICING TAKE OFF AND LANDINGS IN PREPARATION FOR HIS ROTORCRAFT HELICOPTER ADD-ON RATING.  AIRCRAFT BROKE UP IN FLIGHT WHILE MANEUVERING DUE TO UNKNOWN REASONS.

A PHOTOGRAPHER ON THE GROUND CAPTURED THE AIRCRAFT FLYING TOWARDS HER POSITION AND SUBSEQUENTLY SHOWS THE MAIN ROTOR IMPACTING THE TAIL BOOM, SEPARATING THE TAIL ROTOR FROM THE AIRCRAFT.  THE TAIL ROTOR HAS NOT BEEN LOCATED.

## 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 ERA23FA357](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA23FA357), Aug 31, 2023: Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta (N2356M), Kingston, NJ, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: A loss of control, which resulted in the main rotor blade severing the tail boom, for reasons that could not be determined.

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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