- Date
- August 20, 2022, 19:30 local (Aug 21, 2022, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- San Isidro, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N4447ARobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Hard landing
- 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
- FAA report
- 20220820014859A
- Case key
- 105816
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 pilot’s improper decision to conduct an autorotation with a tailwind, which resulted in a hard landing and substantial damage.
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 pilot reported that he was practicing autorotations when the accident occurred. After successfully completing several autorotations from the same direction, he elected to attempt one from a different direction, which put the helicopter into a tailwind. During the maneuver, when the pilot rolled off the throttle, the helicopter “lost RPM”. He attempted to add power but was too low to the ground and the helicopter landed hard and rolled onto its side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the pilot was seriously injured. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4447A
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 12906
- Built
- 2009
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Same as departure
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
- 33
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 1,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 15 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KMFE
- METAR
- KMFE 202353Z 10015G21KT 10SM CLR 32/23 A2987 RMK AO2 SLP113 60000 T03220228 10356 20317 56006
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 15, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 402 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.