- Date
- May 13, 1993, 14:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Cody, WY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N14NHRobinson R-22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 10, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930513013459A
- Case key
- 43021
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 failure of the pilot to maintain directional control while hovering. Factors relating to the accident were the improper decision by the pilot, improper touchdown point selection, high density altitude, and wind gusts.
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 pilot used maximum power to fly over a mountain pass and decided to make a precautionary landing after crossing the summit when the oil temp reached the maximum for normal operation. He made an approach to an oge hover, then flew a traffic pattern for landing. He made an approach to a hover, elected to hover taxi to a suitable landing site, encountered a gust of wind, and lost directional control. The acft lost rotor RPM, descended uncontrolled and impacted the ground. The density altitude at the site was about 9380 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N14NH
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1488
- Airframe hours
- 1,717
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Air Photo, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Air Photo, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 11, 1993 · 11 hours before
- Departed
- BZN · Bozeman, MT
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,461 total · 541 in this make and model · 4,169 as pilot in command · 192 in the last 90 days · 90 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 330° at 12 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- COD, 43 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.