- Date
- June 18, 2022, 16:23 local (23:23 UTC)
- Place
- Auburn, WA · grass practice helipad
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N944BCRobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- 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
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20220618009899A
- Case key
- 105294
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 loss of helicopter control and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action while providing hover training 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 was providing initial flight training to the student. After completing hover and pattern work, they transitioned to a raised grass helicopter practice pad on the airport. After the student completed a successful set-down, the instructor asked him to lift the helicopter into a hover. As the helicopter lifted off the ground, it began to move aft, and the instructor applied forward cyclic. However, the helicopter continued, and he felt the right skid touch the ground. The helicopter then started to roll, and sensing that this could be the beginning of a dynamic rollover event, he reduced collective pitch control, however the helicopter yawed to the left and rolled over. The fuselage and tailboom were substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N944BC
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 13484
- Built
- 2013
- Airframe hours
- 1,349.8
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5, 245 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 1, 2022 · 35 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- S50 · Auburn Muni
- 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
- Pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 14, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 530 total · 132 in this make and model
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 13
- Injuries
- Minor
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 5 total · 4 in this make and model · 4 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- KSEA, 8 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSEA 182353Z 22009KT 10SM FEW037 OVC050 16/09 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP178 T01610089 10172 20133 51007=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 3, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.4 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.