- Date
- August 24, 2026, 14:56 local (19:56 UTC)
- Place
- Milton, FL
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N979SHRobinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 1, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- Case key
- 203654
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 failure to maintain control of the helicopter during a low hover over a grass area, which resulted in left skid contact with the ground and a dynamic rollover to the left.
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 reported that she and a mechanic, who was not a pilot, completed a local 30-minute premaintenance check flight of the helicopter uneventfully. After returning to the departure airport, the flight instructor asked the mechanic if he would like to try and hover over a grass area near the runway. During the hover, the mechanic over-controlled the cyclic, and the helicopter rolled left. The left skid contacted the ground and the helicopter continued to (dynamically) roll left onto its left side, resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor blades and tailboom. The flight instructor added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N979SH
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta (NO SERIES)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4073
- Built
- 2006
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-J2A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- AMS Flight School
- Registered owner
- November Alpha LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 29, 2026 · 30 hours before
- Airport
- 2R4 · Peter Prince Fld
- 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 2, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 396 total · 312 in this make and model · 365 as pilot in command
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- NDZ, 4 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KNDZ 241856Z 00000KT 10SM FEW040 SCT080 BKN120 BKN250 32/26 A2997 RMK AO2 SLP134 SVR T2 SET T03170256 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 MB in all.