- Date
- March 13, 2007, 17:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Broomfield, CO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7681HRobinson R22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 27, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Denver, Colorado
- FAA report
- 20070313002769A
- Case key
- 65464
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 instructor's failure to maintain aircraft control. A contributing factor was the windshear.
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
According to the flight instructor, he was demonstrating a "full-down" autorotation into a 20-knot headwind. About 20 feet above the ground, the wind diminished and the rotor RPM decayed. The pilot flared the helicopter, but it impacted the taxiway at 40 knots and at a 1,000 feet per minute descent rate. The helicopter bounced and the main rotor blades struck the tail boom. A systems examination revealed no anomalies.
Factual narrative
According to the flight instructor, he was demonstrating a "full-down" autorotation into a 20-knot headwind. About 20 feet above the ground, the wind diminished and the rotor RPM decayed. The pilot flared the helicopter, but it impacted the taxiway at 40 knots and at a 1,000 feet per minute descent rate. The helicopter bounced and the main rotor blades struck the tail boom. A systems examination revealed no anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7681H
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3852
- Airframe hours
- 1,006.8
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Premier Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Higgins Leasing Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 1, 2007
- Departed
- BJC · Broomfield, CO
- Destination
- BJC · Broomfield, CO
- Airport
- BJC · Jeffco
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 1, 2006
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 380 total · 224 in this make and model · 324 as pilot in command · 111 in the last 90 days · 45 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 21 total · 9 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- KDEN, 20 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.