- Date
- September 3, 2026, 14:11 local (19:11 UTC)
- Place
- McMinnville, TN · Grassy Area near threshold
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N276SHRobinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 15, 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
- 203731
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 delayed remedial action during a practice autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.
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 of the helicopter stated that after practicing two uneventful 180° practice auto rotations, the student pilot attempted a third. The maneuver proceeded as expected, however, as it progressed, the helicopter slowed significantly at low altitude. The flight instructor stated that he attempted to take the controls to recover, but he was too late and the helicopter landed hard in the grass prior to the runway. The helicopter rolled to the left and the fuselage, main rotors, and tail boom were substantially damaged. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N276SH
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4246
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 6,310.2
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines O-360-J2A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Adam Cobrinik, doing business as Whirlybird22 LLC
- Registered owner
- Spitzer Helicopter LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 18, 2025 · 66.4 hours before
- Destination
- JWN · Nashville, TN
- Airport
- RNC · Warren County Meml, runway 05, 5,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, 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
- 28
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 31, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,579 total · 477.8 in this make and model · 1,459.5 as pilot in command · 51.9 in the last 90 days · 8.5 in the last 30 days · 4.4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 6, 2026
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 292.8 total · 62 in this make and model · 178.8 as pilot in command · 18.6 in the last 90 days · 12.4 in the last 30 days · 3.2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.11 inHg
- Observed at
- CSV, 40 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KCSV 031853Z AUTO VRB03KT 10SM FEW065 34/18 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP169 T03390183
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 25.4 MB in all.