- Date
- March 13, 2010, 08:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N822SHRobinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Dynamic rollover
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 1, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20100313029099A
- Case key
- 75491
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
The student pilot's loss of directional control during takeoff, resulting in a dynamic rollover of the helicopter.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The student helicopter pilot was preparing for his fourth scheduled solo flight, intending to depart on a local flight. The student reported that as he started to raise the helicopter’s collective, the helicopter started to slide to the right. He added that he stopped moving the collective and applied left cyclic, and the helicopter stopped moving. He then continued to raise the collective to begin his hover. The helicopter rolled-over to the right, and impacted the ground. The flight instructor who was watching the student reported that he saw the helicopter move to the right about a foot, stop, and then, as the helicopter started to lift, it instantaneously rolled to the right and struck the ground. After the accident, both the instructor and student stated that it appeared the helicopter’s skid may have gotten caught in a crack on the ramp’s cement surface.
Factual narrative
The student helicopter pilot was preparing for his fourth scheduled solo flight, intending to depart on a local flight. The student reported that as he started to raise the helicopter’s collective, the helicopter started to slide to the right. He added that he stopped moving the collective and applied left cyclic, and the helicopter stopped moving. He then continued to raise the collective to begin his hover. The helicopter rolled-over to the right, and impacted the ground. The flight instructor who was watching the student, reported that he saw the helicopter move to the right about a foot, stop, and then as the helicopter started to lift, it “instantaneously, rolled to the right and struck the ground." After the accident, both the instructor and student stated that it appeared the helicopter’s skid may have gotten caught in a crack on the ramp’s cement surface.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N822SH
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3775
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 SERIES, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Rotor Envy Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Nielsen Aircraft Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KEFD · Houston, TX
- Destination
- KEFD · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- KEFD · Ellington Field Airport
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
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 999 total · 4 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 8, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.