- Date
- July 11, 1991, 11:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- El Cerrito, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N4070HRobinson R22A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 24, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910711027089A
- Case key
- 27287
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 instructor pilot's improper slope takeoff technique.
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 instructor pilot was demonstrating slope takeoff techniques to the student after the student had landed on a hillside that sloped downward from left to right. The instructor lifted the helicopter's right down slope skid twice while the left skid remained on the ground. During the third lift-off the instructor did not lift the left skid as the helicopter raised and it rolled over upslope on its left side.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N4070H
- Reported as
- Robinson R22A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1727
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Para Flite, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Akira Mendoza
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 9, 1991 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- RAL · Riverside, 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
- 30
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 420 total · 316 in this make and model · 302 as pilot in command · 205 in the last 90 days · 78 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- RAL, 17 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.