- Date
- December 22, 1996, 09:40 local (14:40 UTC)
- Place
- Islip, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8414HRobinson R22 HP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19961222047549A
- Case key
- 28170
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 students pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter and the instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
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 flight instructor stated that the student, who had 13 hours of total flight time, completed the runup and the pre-takeoff check, and lifted the helicopter into a hover. As they started to hover-taxi forward, the student suddenly applied left cyclic, and the left skid struck the ground. Before the instructor could overpower the student, the helicopter went into a dynamic rollover, and came to rest on its left side.
Factual narrative
On December 22, 1996, at about 0940 eastern standard time (EST), a Robinson R-22 helicopter, N8414H, owned and operated by Atlantic Coast Helicopter, struck the ground with the main rotor blades while being hover taxied by a student pilot at the Long Island Macarthur Airport, Islip, New York. The student pilot and certified flight instructor were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. Visual Meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight. The instructional flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The flight instructor stated that the student pilot, who had 13 hours of total flight time, completed the run-up and the pre-takeoff check, and lifted the helicopter into a hover. As they started to hover-taxi forward, the student suddenly applied left cyclic, and the left skid struck the ground. The instructor stated that before he could overpower the student, the helicopter went into a dynamic rollover, and came to rest on its left side, with the engine and rotors stopped. Damage consisted of the main rotors, tail rotor, tail boom and left side of the cabin.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8414H
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 HP
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0355
- Airframe hours
- 7,188
- Engine
- Lycoming O320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Atlantic Coast Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Atlantic Coast Helicopter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · November 16, 1996 · 63 hours before
- Departed
- ISP
- Airport
- ISP · Long Island Macarthur
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
- 25
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 527 total · 253 in this make and model · 486 as pilot in command · 49 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8414H · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.