- Date
- February 4, 2017, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Fallston, MD
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7518GRobinson Helicopter R22
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 10, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20170204006799A
- Case key
- 94685
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 student pilot's failure to relinquish the flight controls to the flight instructor, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
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 student pilot, who held a commercial fixed-wing pilot certificate, was performing hovering flight during his first helicopter lesson when the helicopter "suddenly jerked backwards." The helicopter's tail rotor gearbox and a portion of the tail rotor departed the helicopter, and the flight instructor landed the helicopter upright with no injuries to the two occupants. According to the flight instructor, he monitored the cyclic, collective, and tail rotor controls while explaining hovering flight and surrendered each control to the student pilot one at a time until the student pilot was fully controlling the helicopter. As the helicopter transitioned backward and began a "spin to the left," he requested and took control of the helicopter, but the student pilot did not surrender the controls, and the flight instructor could not overpower the student pilot's inputs before the tail rotor collided with terrain. The flight instructor further stated that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The student pilot, who held a commercial fixed-wing pilot certificate, was performing hovering flight during his first helicopter lesson when the helicopter "suddenly jerked backwards." The helicopter's tail rotor gearbox and a portion of the tail rotor departed the helicopter, and the flight instructor landed the helicopter upright with no injuries to the two occupants.According to the flight instructor, he monitored the cyclic, collective, and tail rotor controls while explaining hovering flight, and surrendered each control to the student pilot one at a time until the student pilot was fully controlling the helicopter. As the helicopter transitioned backwards, and began a "spin to the left," he requested and took control of the helicopter, but the student pilot did not surrender the controls, and the flight instructor could not overpower the student pilot's inputs before the tail rotor collided with terrain. The flight instructor further stated that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7518G
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 (Beta)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4005
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 3,343
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 SERIES, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Middle River Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Middle River Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · December 22, 2016 · 55 hours before
- Departed
- MTN · Middle River, MD
- Destination
- W42 · Fallston, MD
- Airport
- W42 · Fallston, runway 04, 2,200 × 50 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
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
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 312 total · 1 in this make and model · 223 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- Lap only
- Flight hours
- 308 total · 247 as pilot in command · 72 in the last 90 days · 24 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 37 °F, dew point 7 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.38 inHg
- Observed at
- KMTN, 10 nm away
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 28, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 8.4 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.