- Date
- June 25, 2015, 12:25 local (17:25 UTC)
- Place
- Eagle Lake, TX
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N842SHRobinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Abrupt maneuver
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 12, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA Houston FSDO
- FAA report
- 20150625010029A
- Case key
- 91479
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 secure the iPad during flight, resulting in an inadvertent cyclic input, and collision with terrain.
Findings · 4
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 pilot reported that that during a low-level agricultural flight, his iPad was not secured on his lap, and it slid off onto the collective. He reported that while he was retrieving the iPad, he inadvertently applied forward cyclic, the helicopter impacted terrain, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that that during a low-level agricultural flight, his iPad was not secured on his lap, and it slid off onto the collective. He reported that while he was retrieving the iPad, he inadvertently applied forward cyclic, the helicopter impacted terrain, and sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. The pilot reported no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N842SH
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta (BETA)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3819
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 4,662.4
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-J2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work use · Part 91
- Operator
- Silver Star Helicopters LLC, doing business as Silver Star Helicopters LLC
- Registered owner
- Silver Star Helicopters LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 16, 2015
- Departed
- ELA · Eagle Lake, TX
- Destination
- ELA · Eagle Lake, TX
- Equipment
- Handheld GPS
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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 9, 2013
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3,250 total · 1,650 in this make and model · 3,200 as pilot in command · 3,150 in the last 90 days · 3,225 in the last 30 days · 3,250 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 86 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- KTME, 29 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 11, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.0 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.