- Date
- June 21, 1991, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- Faribault, MN
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N8024WRobinson R-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910621023429A
- Case key
- 15105
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
Compensation for wind conditions was not attained by the pilot resulting in loss of directional control. A factor related to the accident was a gusty crosswind landing environment.
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
The pilot said that he was executing a 360 degree turn while hover/taxiing. The aircraft abruptly whipped around its axis of rotation, in the gusty crosswind environment. The helicopter began uncontrolled oscillations and struck the ground with a rearward momentum. The tail cone hit the ground and collapsed, causing the main rotor blades to hit the ground repeatedly before coming to a stop.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8024W
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1047
- Airframe hours
- 862
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 131 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Km Helicopter Sevice
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · June 5, 1991 · 81 hours before
- Airport
- FBL · Faribault, runway 2, 2,018 × 130 ft, grass/turf
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,218 total · 10 in this make and model · 2,077 as pilot in command · 4 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- FBL, 1 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.
Other investigations on N8024W · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.