- Date
- August 19, 2015, 19:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Ronkonkoma, NY
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N86EHRobinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20150819023599A
- Case key
- 91869
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 loss of control during a hover, which resulted in ground contact and a dynamic rollover. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's lack of action to remediate the student pilot's control inputs and recover aircraft control.
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 flight instructor reported that he had given instructions to the student pilot to hover over a grass area on the airport property. The flight instructor stated the helicopter was "hovering 18 inches to 30 inches above the ground and then was lying on its side on the ground". The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, tail boom, and tail rotor drive shaft. In a statement to the FAA, the flight instructor said he had given the controls to the student pilot. The student pilot started to over control the helicopter and it went into a pendulum motion. The helicopter came close to the ground and the right skid made contact with the ground, causing a dynamic rollover. The flight instructor reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that he had given instructions to the student pilot to hover over a grass area on the airport property. The flight instructor stated the helicopter was "hovering 18 inches to 30 inches above the ground and then was lying on its side on the ground". The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, tail boom, and tail rotor drive shaft. In a statement to the FAA, the flight instructor said he had given the controls to the student pilot. The student pilot started to over control the helicopter and it went into a pendulum motion. The helicopter came close to the ground and the right skid made contact with the ground, causing a dynamic rollover. The flight instructor reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N86EH
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0585
- Built
- 1986
- Airframe hours
- 9,928
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 150 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Helicopter Flight Inc., doing business as Helicopter Flight Inc.
- Registered owner
- Atlantic Coast Helicopters Ltd
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 17, 2015
- Departed
- ISP · Ronkonkoma, NY
- Destination
- ISP · Ronkonkoma, NY
- Airport
- ISP · Long Island Mac Arthur
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
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Private
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 22, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 347 total · 334 in this make and model · 236 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 39
- Injuries
- Minor
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1 total · 1 in this make and model · 1 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KISP
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 7, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 906 KB 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.