- Date
- April 16, 2022, 13:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Salt Lake City, UT · Airport
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N3297QRobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Dynamic rollover
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20220416005539A
- Case key
- 104961
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 lateral control and terrain clearance while hovering, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action which resulted in a dynamic rollover.
Findings · 4
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 of the helicopter reported that, while conducting hover training about five ft above ground level, with the student pilot at the flight control, the helicopter began drifting to the right and the right skid contacted the ground. The helicopter subsequently exceeded the critical roll angle and experienced a dynamic rollover to the right. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3297Q
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 10178
- Airframe hours
- 4,195.9
- Engine
- Lycoming 10-540-AE1A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Utah Helicopter LLC
- Registered owner
- Utah Helicopter LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- None
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 24, 2022 · 19.9 hours before
- Airport
- U42 · South Valley Regional Airport
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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
- 43
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Military, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 9, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,384 total · 75 in this make and model · 1,349.5 as pilot in command · 180 in the last 90 days · 127.6 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 42
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 3.6 total · 0.5 in this make and model · 3.6 in the last 90 days · 3.6 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 6 knots, gusting 17
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 10,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 41 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.77 inHg
- Observed at
- KU42
- METAR
- KU42 161935Z AUTO 23006G17KT 180V250 10SM BKN100 17/05 A2977 RMK AO1 T01690045
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 6, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.2 MB 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.