- Date
- May 8, 1990, 10:45 local (14:45 UTC)
- Place
- Millville, NJ
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N9071ZRobinson R22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 10, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900508014769A
- Case key
- 36642
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 improper use of the flight controls, and inadequate supervision of the flight by the instructor (CFI). Contributing to the accident was the lack of total time and experience of both the student and instructor.
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 a practice hover with the student at the controls,the student started a rapid aft cyclic movement, causing the tail rotor to contact the ground and separate. The instructor (CFI) took control and initiated a hover autorotation and the aircraft lifted about 10 feet above the ground. The helicopter then struck the ground right skid low and came to rest in a relative level attitude with the right skid collapsing and the craft rolling to the right side. The CFI was issued his instructor certificate 7 days prior to the accident. The student had only 4.8 hours of experience.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N9071Z
- Reported as
- Robinson R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0203
- Airframe hours
- 1,529
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Total Helicopter Service
- Registered owner
- Titan Helicopter Service, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 4, 1990 · 15 hours before
- Departed
- M1V · Millville, NJ
- Airport
- Millville Muni, runway 26, 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
- 26
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 308 total · 292 in this make and model · 233 as pilot in command · 137 in the last 90 days · 43 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.