- Date
- September 23, 2000, 15:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Tomball, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N7183XRobinson R-22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 19, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000923014649A
- Case key
- 50366
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 abrupt lowering of the collective. Factors were the student pilot's lack of experience in helicopters and the CFI's delayed remedial action.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that the helicopter was in a 3-foot hover with the student pilot on the controls, when the aircraft began to drift 'slightly' to the right. As the CFI started to correct by applying left cyclic, the student 'abruptly' lowered the collective. Subsequently, the right skid contacted the ground and the helicopter rolled over to the right. A ground impression, corresponding to the right skid was found after the accident. The helicopter's tail boom and main rotor drive system were destroyed and cabin was substantially damaged. The student pilot had received about 4 hours of helicopter instruction at the time of the accident. He held a commercial airman's certificate with single and multi-engine airplane ratings, and was a certified flight instructor for single and multi-engine airplanes.
Factual narrative
On September 23, 2000, at 1515 central daylight time, a Robinson R-22B helicopter, N7183X, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground while hovering over a grassy practice area on the David Wayne Hooks Airport, Tomball, Texas. The helicopter was registered to and operated by Helicopter Services Inc., of Spring, Texas. The certified flight instructor (CFI) received minor injuries, and the student pilot received serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan was not filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The flight originated at 1440 from David Wayne Hooks Airport.
The CFI reported that the helicopter was in a 3-foot hover with the student pilot on the controls, when the aircraft began to drift "slightly" to the right. As the CFI started to correct by applying left cyclic, the student "abruptly" lowered the collective. Subsequently, the right skid contacted the ground and the helicopter rolled over to the right.
Visual inspection of the accident site by an FAA inspector revealed a ground impression corresponding to the right skid. The helicopter's tail boom and main rotor drive system was destroyed. The cabin was substantially damaged.
The student pilot had received about 4 hours of helicopter instruction at the time of the accident. He held a commercial airman's certificate with single and multi-engine airplane ratings, and was a certified flight instructor for single and multi-engine airplanes.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7183X
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2887
- Airframe hours
- 1,615
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-J2A, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Helicopter Services, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · September 21, 2000 · 19 hours before
- Departed
- DWH
- Airport
- DWH · David Wayne Hooks
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
- 22
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 722 total · 620 in this make and model · 612 as pilot in command · 205 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 95 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.