- Date
- May 31, 2022, 21:16 UTC
- Place
- Cameron, TX
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N27574Bell 206B
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Dynamic rollover
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA - Houston FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220531009229A
- Case key
- 105168
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 crew not maintaining lateral control of the helicopter during hovering operation which resulted in a dynamic rollover.
Findings · 3
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 operator reported that the flight instructor was working with a student on hovering the helicopter. The operator reported that the instructor used a method which transferred one control at a time to the student to familiarize the student with the use of that control and to not overwhelm the student by transferring all controls at once. The instructor first transferred pedal control, while maintaining cyclic and collective controls, with good success. He then did the same with the student commanding collective only, and then with cyclic only, while the instructor retained control of the other two controls. Ultimately the student was given control of cyclic and collective, and shortly thereafter the helicopter began to drift to the left. The instructor attempted to make a control input to correct the drift, but the helicopter rolled to the left and the rotor system of the helicopter impacted the ground, followed by the helicopter fuselage coming to rest on is left side. The helicopter received substantial damage to its fuselage and rotor system. The operator reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter prior to the accident that would have precluded normal operations.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N27574
- Reported as
- Bell 206B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2562
- Built
- 1979
- Airframe hours
- 20,128
- Engine
- Allison 250, 420 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Utility Aviation, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Ranger Aviation Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 19, 2022
- Departed
- GTU · Georgetown, TX
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
- Airport
- T35 · Cameron Muni Airpark
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
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 24, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 3,103 total · 1,974 as pilot in command
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 23
- Injuries
- Minor
- Medical
- Unknown
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 4 total · 4 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 11 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 95 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KLHB, 18 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KLHB 311955Z AUTO 16011G17KT 10SM SCT055 SCT075 35/22 A2987 RMK AO2 T03450220=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 22, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 9.9 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.