- Date
- September 28, 2003, 12:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Bedford, MA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N56MURobinson R-22A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20030928024339A
- Case key
- 58012
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 certified flight instructor's failure to maintain ground clearance and his delayed remedial action, which resulted in a rollover.
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 certified flight instructor (CFI) was providing flight instruction to the student pilot, who had accumulated about 3 hours of helicopter flight experience. According to the CFI, the student pilot was practicing hovering, when the helicopter descended "too low." The helicopter momentarily contacted the ground while drifting to the right, and rolled over. The CFI further stated he did not experience any mechanical malfunctions.
Factual narrative
On September 28, 2003, about 1200 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R-22A, N56MU, was substantially damaged when it impacted the ground while hovering at Laurence G. Hanscom Field, Bedford, Massachusetts. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) and a student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed for the instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The student pilot had accumulated about 3 hours of helicopter flight experience. According to the CFI, the student pilot was practicing hovering, when the helicopter descended "too low." The helicopter momentarily contacted the ground while drifting to the right, and rolled over.
The CFI stated he did not experience any mechanical malfunctions. He reported 1,059 hours of total flight experience, which included 641 hours in helicopters, and 471 hours in make and model.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N56MU
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0458
- Airframe hours
- 5,139
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- East Coast Aero Club, doing business as 200 Hanscom Drive
- Registered owner
- Firefly Leasing Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 25, 2003 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- BED · Bedford, MA
- Destination
- BED
- Airport
- BED · Laurence G Hanscom Fld, runway unk
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Flight instructor
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- October 27, 2001
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,059 total · 471 in this make and model · 800 as pilot in command · 81 in the last 90 days · 34 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3 total · 3 in this make and model · 3 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 68 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.75 inHg
- Observed at
- BED
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.