- Date
- June 13, 1987, 16:12 local (20:12 UTC)
- Place
- Sterling, MA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N351Robinson R-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 16, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870613082049A
- Case key
- 30675
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
While practicing hovering in the designated hover area at the arpt, the stu plt accidently pulled aft cyclic while the helicopter was drifting backwards. This caused the tail structure and rotor blades to contact the ground. The main rotor blades then contacted the tail boom and severed it, throwing it abt 50 ft in front of the acft. The instructor added forward cyclic, rolled off the throttle, and landed the helicopter straight ahead.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N351
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0319
- Airframe hours
- 2,978
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Fuller Aviation Corp.
- Registered owner
- Fuller Aviation Corp.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 3, 1987
- Airport
- Sterling, runway 34L, 2,800 × 100 ft, grass/turf
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
- 28
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 669 total · 285 in this make and model · 559 as pilot in command · 212 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 350° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 68 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.