- Date
- April 8, 2023, 12:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Midway, UT · rural, near a mountain
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7530DRobinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Defining event
- Landing: Roll over
- 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
- 20230408015279A
- Case key
- 107030
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 pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during a pinnacle landing that resulted in a hard landing and subsequent roll over.
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 an instructional flight, he and his student were approaching a ridge line to conduct a practice pinnacle landing. The student pilot stated that as they were over the ridge line, the helicopter was struck by a wind gust, and it yawed to the right. He added left anti-torque pedal to correct the yaw, then the low RPM horn sounded, and the instructor took the flight controls. He lowered the collective and added forward cyclic to move away from terrain, however the helicopter landed hard in the snow and rolled onto its right side. The tail boom was substantially damaged. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7530D
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3619
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 8,819.6
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-J2A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Utah State University
- Registered owner
- Utah State University
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 10, 2023
- Departed
- KOGD · Ogden, UT
- Destination
- KHCR · Heber City, UT
- 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
- 23
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 96 total · 96 in this make and model · 31 as pilot in command · 16 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 32
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 4, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 554 total · 421 in this make and model · 436 as pilot in command · 125 in the last 90 days · 19 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 160° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.09 inHg
- Observed at
- KU42, 24 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KU42 081755Z AUTO 16009KT 10SM CLR 16/M02 A3009
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.8 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.
Other investigations on N7530D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.