- Date
- February 17, 2022, 10:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- White Plains, NY · Heliport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N929WARobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Landing: 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
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220217000929A
- Case key
- 104694
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 failure to maintain stabilized lateral control during landing in gusty conditions which resulted in a dynamic rollover when the skids contacted the platform unevenly.
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 commercial helicopter pilot was attempting to land on a mobile landing platform in gusty conditions. As the helicopter settled down onto the helipad, the skids contacted the pad unevenly, which caused it to tilt to the right. The pilot attempted to correct and lowered the collective, but the helicopter rapidly entered a dynamic rollover and struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, mast, and main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N929WA
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 14233
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 1,791.4
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- Wings Air Helicopters LLC
- Registered owner
- Wings Air Helicopters LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 7, 2021
- Departed
- 6N5 · New York, NY
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- HPN · Westchester County
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display
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
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 15, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 4,844 total · 1,684 in this make and model · 4,807 as pilot in command · 72.9 in the last 90 days · 27.5 in the last 30 days · 3.8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 6 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.18 inHg
- Observed at
- HPN
- METAR
- KHPN 171456Z VRB06G18KT 10SM CLR 15/07 A3018 RMK AO2 SLP220 T01500067 58017
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 26, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.1 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.