- Date
- September 19, 1988, 11:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Yosemite, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N9077NRobinson R22-HP
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 2, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19880919039179A
- Case key
- 26106
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 pilot was flying in high terrain at 10,000 ft MSL when he noticed his airspeed had dropped to 0. He stated that he had encountered a strong tailwind and he lost control of the helicopter. The helicopter collided with the terrain in an uncontrolled descent. The pilot reported after the accident that he had simply gotten the helicopter into a situation that he could not recover from. There were no mechanical difficulties reported prior to the accident. The pilot indicated the winds were gusting to 50 KTS.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9077N
- Reported as
- Robinson R22-HP
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0271
- Airframe hours
- 1,886
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Choppers, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · November 18, 1987 · 126 hours before
- Departed
- MAE · Madera, CA
- Destination
- Mendota Ranch, CA
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
- 46
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 956 total · 381 in this make and model · 956 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 20 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 40 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.