- Date
- September 27, 1989, 08:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Scottsdale, AZ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N9078URobinson R22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 1991
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890927037399A
- Case key
- 26516
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
Improper in-flight planning/decision by the instructor pilot (CFI). Factors related to the accident were: the cfi's lack of familiarity with the geographic area, and the fence.
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 certificated flight instructor (CFI) & a student pilot were practicing autorotations. The CFI took the controls from the student during an aborted autorotion & initiated a go-around. The helicopter's tail rotor struck an unseen fence during the go-around, & the CFI made an emergency landing. The CFI said that the acdnt could have been prevented if he had been familiar with the landing area.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9078U
- Reported as
- Robinson R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 184
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Arizona Wing And Rotor
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- SDL · Scottsdale, AZ
- Airport
- NONE
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
- 41
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,274 total · 1,264 in this make and model · 1,231 as pilot in command · 220 in the last 90 days · 73 in the last 30 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 13 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 90 °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.