- Date
- July 5, 2004, 15:00 local (22:00 UTC)
- Place
- Hillsboro, OR
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N856HARobinson R22 Mariner
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 29, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20040705012679A
- Case key
- 59575
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 pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control resulting in an uncontrolled descent and subsequent roll over. Low altitude flight and the pilot's encounter with settling with power were contributing factors.
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 flight instructor reported that they were in the process of practicing "maximum performance takeoff abort - backwards." The student was on the controls during the maximum performance takeoff phase to an altitude of about 150 feet above ground level, and the instructor took over the controls to demonstrate the abort procedures. The instructor took the controls just prior to call for the abort. When the abort phase began, the instructor applied aft cyclic and slightly lowered the collective. The helicopter had been in a tail low attitude and started to descend into "settling with power." The instructor applied forward cyclic and lowered the collective, however the helicopter did not have sufficient altitude to level out or gain airspeed to recover before impacting the ground on the right side skid. The helicopter pivoted around about 180 degrees then rolled over onto its left side.
Factual narrative
On July 5, 2004, at 1500 Pacific daylight time, a Robinson R-22 Mariner, N856HA, registered to and operated by Hillsboro Aviation as a 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, experienced a hard landing followed by a rollover at the Portland-Hillsboro Airport, Hillsboro, Oregon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight. The helicopter was substantially damaged and the certified flight instructor was not injured, while the commercial pilot (student) received minor injuries.
In a written statement, the flight instructor reported that they were in the process of practicing "maximum performance takeoff abort - backwards." The student was on the controls during the maximum performance takeoff phase to an altitude of about 150 feet above ground level, and the instructor took over the controls to demonstrate the abort procedures. The instructor took the controls just prior to call for the abort. When the abort phase began, the instructor applied aft cyclic and slightly lowered the collective. The helicopter had been in a tail low attitude and started to descend into "settling with power." The instructor applied forward cyclic and lowered the collective, however the helicopter did not have sufficient altitude to level out or gain airspeed to recover before impacting the ground on the right side skid. The helicopter pivoted around about 180 degrees then rolled over onto its left side.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N856HA
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 Mariner
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1894M
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Hillsboro Aviation Inc.
- Registered owner
- Hillsboro Aviation Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- HIO · Hillsboro, OR
- Destination
- HIO
- Airport
- HIO · Portland-Hillsboro
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
- 33
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 2,187 total · 1,903 in this make and model · 176 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
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 N856HA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.