- Date
- March 22, 1986, 00:00 local (06:00 UTC)
- Place
- Memphis, TN
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9069SRobinson R-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19860322007329A
- Case key
- 6932
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A loss of control in flight for undetermined reasons.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While maneuvering over an open field, the helicopter main rotor blades had multiple contacts with the tail boom, resulting in separation of the tail boom in flight. The commercial pilot was seated in the left seat; the student was in the right seat. Fuel quantity prior to takeoff was approximately 15 gallons. Duration of flight time per hobbs was 1.6 hours. There was little fuel found at the accident site. There was no evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction. Examination of the rotor system revealed no mechanical cause for the main rotor blade divergence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9069S
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0181
- Airframe hours
- 1,805
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2C, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- John E. Cline, doing business as Mid-America Helicopters
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 10, 1986 · 5 hours before
- Departed
- MEM · Memphis, TN
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,370 total · 229 in this make and model · 65 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 12 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEM, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.