- Date
- September 29, 2010, 17:45 local (Sep 30, 2010, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Portland, OR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N856HARobinson R22
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Prop/jet/rotor blast/suction
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 16, 2011
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20100929046319A
- Case key
- 77460
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 decision to hover-taxi behind a jet, resulting in the helicopter encountering jet wash and rolling over.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot stated that he was returning to his home airport when the accident occurred. On final approach, the pilot noted another helicopter was at the parking area, so he altered his course towards taxiway "A" and finished his approach coming to a hover about 3 to 5 feet above the ground. He then commenced to hover-taxi to his parking spot. The student pilot stated that in order to reach his intended parking spot he would have to pass behind an Embraer jet that was holding short of the runway. The pilot reported that he was not expecting the jet blast produced by the turbine engines, and as the helicopter passed behind the airplane, it yawed to the left and rolled onto its side, impacting the ground. According to witnesses, the accident helicopter passed about 30 feet behind the jet at an altitude of about 3 feet above the ground.
Factual narrative
The pilot said he was returning to his home airport when the accident occurred. On final approach, the pilot noted another helicopter was at the parking area, so he altered his course towards taxiway "Alpha" and finished his approach coming to a hover about 3 to 5 feet above the ground. He then commenced to hover-taxi to his parking spot. The student pilot stated that in order to reach his intended parking spot he would have to pass behind an Embraer jet that was holding short of the runway. The pilot reported that he was not expecting the jet blast produced by the turbine engines, and as the helicopter passed behind the airplane, it yawed to the left and rolled onto its side, impacting the ground. According to witnesses, the accident helicopter passed 10 meters (33 feet) behind the jet, at an altitude of about 3 feet above the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N856HA
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 (MARINER)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1894m
- Airframe hours
- 8,830
- Engine
- Textron Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Hillsboro Aviation Inc
- Registered owner
- Hillsboro Aviation Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · September 2, 2010 · 66 hours before
- Departed
- 7S5 · Independence, OR
- Destination
- HIO · Portland, OR
- Flight plan
- VFR
- Airport
- HIO · Portland-Hillsboro Airport, runway 30, 6,600 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Student pilot
- Age
- 43
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 76 total · 76 in this make and model · 5 as pilot in command · 76 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 45° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.12 inHg
- Observed at
- HIO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 8, 2010, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 635 KB in all.
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.