- Date
- August 23, 1983, 16:15 local (20:15 UTC)
- Place
- Nashua, NH
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9078ZRobinson R-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19830823047269A
- Case key
- 35074
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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
As the instructor watched the third liftoff from in front of the hangar, he observed the helicopter lift off the ground rapidly, its nose swinging quickly to the right as it did. During the yaw, the helicopter lost altitude rapidly until the right skid hit the ground. After bouncing back into the air a right roll began along with the yaw and continued until the main rotor blades struck the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9078Z
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0288
- Airframe hours
- 955
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Hawthorne College
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 22, 1983 · 65 hours before
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
- 44
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 464 total · 31 in this make and model · 238 as pilot in command · 27 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 320° at 8 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
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 N9078Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.