- Date
- August 26, 2023, 11:45 local (15:45 UTC)
- Place
- Immokalee, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N4147QRobinson Helicopter R44
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- 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
- 20230826013719A
- Case key
- 192947
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 flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student pilot during hover flight, which resulted in main rotor blade contact with the ground after the student pilot applied a sudden control input.
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 flight instructor stated that the accident flight was an introductory flight for a new student pilot. He stated that during an introductory flight, it was normal for a student pilot to take the cyclic control and get familiar with the “feel” of the helicopter. During the accident pilot, the student pilot hovered the helicopter at 10 ft above ground level for about 10 minutes with no anomalies, then suddenly, the student pilot pushed the cyclic forward and to the right “very fast.” The flight instructor could not regain control before the main rotor contacted the ground. The helicopter rolled to the right and came to rest on tits right side, sustaining substantial damage to the main rotor mast, tail rotor, and fuselage. The flight instructor stated there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4147Q
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1844
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 2,000
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Airman Helicopter Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 29, 2023
- Airport
- IMM · Immokalee Rgnl, runway 36, 4,550 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 47
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,383 total · 3,100 in this make and model · 3,328 as pilot in command · 26 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 30 days · 1.5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Injuries
- Minor
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 0 total · 0 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.86 inHg
- Observed at
- RSW, 20 nm away
- METAR
- KRSW 261553Z 06009G16KT 10SM CLR 32/22 A2986 RMK AO2 SLP109 T03170217
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 9, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 5.9 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.