- Date
- July 11, 1991, 12:40 local (19:40 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N730SHRobinson R-22-B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 22, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910711027099A
- Case key
- 27285
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 failure to unlock the cyclic trim and to maintain his hover altitude. His lack of experience with the aircraft, inadequate preflight, and the uncontrolled descent were factors in the accident.
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
During his preflight inspection the student pilot failed to unlock the helicopter's cyclic trim control. When the aircraft lifted off it hovered to the right, descended and collided with the terrain and rolled over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N730SH
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22-B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1730
- Airframe hours
- 271
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Hiro Takai & Fred Farnsworth
- Registered owner
- Hiro Takai & Fred Farnsworth
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Unknown · July 7, 1991 · 20 hours before
- Destination
- Q99 · San Martin, CA
- Airport
- Reid Hillview
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
- 51
- Certificates
- Commercial, Student
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,492 total · 20 in this make and model · 1,292 as pilot in command · 74 in the last 90 days · 22 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 59 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RHV, 1 nm away
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 N730SH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.