- Date
- June 23, 1990, 12:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pinon Hills, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N84378Robinson R22A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 9, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900623022099A
- Case key
- 26847
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 maintain adequate rotor RPM during an attempted takeoff. A contributing factor was the high density altitude.
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 recently certificated 200-pound pilot and his 190-pound passenger landed without difficulty at a 4000-foot MSL site. About 15 minutes later, with an air temperature of 92 degrees f, the pilot and passenger attempted to takeoff. The helicopter climbed 30 feet above the ground and then lost rotor RPM. The pilot lost control and descended into trees. The computed density altitude was approximately 6950 feet.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N84378
- Reported as
- Robinson R22A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 370
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sundance Helicopters, Inc.
- Destination
- WJF · Lancaster, 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
- 29
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 165 total · 123 in this make and model · 90 as pilot in command · 59 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °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.