- Date
- August 24, 2014, 14:45 local (21:45 UTC)
- Place
- Long Beach, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N341SLRobinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 5, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20140824014089A
- Case key
- 89937
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 failure to maintain helicopter control during a practice hover. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's delayed remedial reaction.
Findings · 3
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 flight instructor reported that during practice hovering, the student pilot lost aircraft control and the helicopter yawed towards the right. The flight instructor did not act in a timely manner to maintain control of the helicopter and prevent the tail rotor from contacting the ground during the recovery. Subsequently, the helicopter sustained substantial damage to its tail boom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that during practice hovering, the student pilot lost aircraft control and the helicopter yawed towards the right. The flight instructor did not act in a timely manner to maintain control of the helicopter and prevent the tail rotor from contacting the ground during the recovery. Subsequently, the helicopter sustained substantial damage to its tail boom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N341SL
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta (BETA)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2299
- Built
- 1993
- Airframe hours
- 1,501
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Los Angeles Helicopters LLC, doing business as LA Helicopters Flight School
- Registered owner
- Spitzer Matthew L
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 12, 2014
- Departed
- LGB · Long Beach, CA
- Destination
- LGB · Long Beach, CA
- Airport
- LGB · Long Beach /Daugherty Field/
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 16, 2014
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 204.3 total · 146.3 in this make and model · 160.8 as pilot in command · 41.5 in the last 90 days · 23.7 in the last 30 days · 2.7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 0.8 total · 0.8 in the last 90 days · 0.8 in the last 30 days · 0.8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.84 inHg
- Observed at
- LGB
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 687 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.