- Date
- October 2, 2013, 17:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N554SARobinson R22 - Beta
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 4, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- FAA report
- 20131002019369A
- Case key
- 88293
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 flight instructor's failure to take remedial action in a timely manner.
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 pilot stated they had been practicing hovering for about 30 minutes, and were about two feet above the ground. He recalled that he was "controlling the cyclic and maybe the collective, but not the pedals." The flight instructor thought they were three to five feet above the ground. The helicopter experienced a pendular motion and began traveling backwards and to the right. The right skid made contact with the ground, which resulted in the tail impacting the ground and the helicopter rolling onto its side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor.
Factual narrative
The student pilot stated they had been practicing hovering for about 30 minutes, and were about two feet above the ground. He recalled that he was "controlling the cyclic and maybe the collective, but not the pedals." The flight instructor thought they were three to five feet above the ground. The helicopter experienced a pendular motion and began traveling backwards and to the right. The right skid made contact with the ground, which resulted in the tail impacting the ground and the helicopter rolling onto its side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N554SA
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 - Beta (BETA)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1618
- Built
- 1990
- Engine
- Cont Motor TSIO-520 SER, unknown
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Sun Aero Helicopters INC
- Registered owner
- Sun Aero Helicopters INC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- IGQ · Chicago, IL
- Destination
- IGQ · Chicago, IL
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- IGQ · Lansing Muni
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Flight hours
- 3 total · 3 in this make and model
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 28
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Last flight review
- March 30, 2012
- Flight hours
- 507 total · 242 in this make and model · 44 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- IGQ
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 19, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 43 KB 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.