Robinson R22 BETA N86EH
19 August 2015 · Ronkonkoma, New York, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 19 August 2015 at about 23:15 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N86EH, operated by Helicopter Flight Inc., was involved in an accident near Ronkonkoma, New York, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Ronkonkoma, New York, United States
- Nearest airport
- Long Island Mac Arthur (ISP)
- Coordinates
- 40.7917, -73.1033
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA
- Registration
- N86EH
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1986
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Helicopter Flight Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Ronkonkoma → Ronkonkoma
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA15CA238
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The student pilot's loss of control during a hover, which resulted in ground contact and a dynamic rollover. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor's lack of action to remediate the student pilot's control inputs and recover aircraft control.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructor reported that he had given instructions to the student pilot to hover over a grass area on the airport property. The flight instructor stated the helicopter was "hovering 18 inches to 30 inches above the ground and then was lying on its side on the ground". The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, tail boom, and tail rotor drive shaft. In a statement to the FAA, the flight instructor said he had given the controls to the student pilot. The student pilot started to over control the helicopter and it went into a pendulum motion. The helicopter came close to the ground and the right skid made contact with the ground, causing a dynamic rollover. The flight instructor reported no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Jul 2015 | Robinson R22 BETA | Escalante, Utah, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Feb 2015 | Robinson R22 BETA | Asherton, Texas, United States | Southwest Texas Helicopters, Inc | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 2015 | Robinson R22 | Annaka City, Japan | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 3 Mar 2015 | Robinson R22 BETA | San Bernardino, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 2015 | Robinson R22 BETA | Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, United States | Hawaii Pacific Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Dec 2015 | Robinson R22 | Venice, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Apr 2015 | Cessna 162 | Shelter Island, New York, United States | SMC Aviation Inc | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 2015 | Beechcraft A36 | Poughkeepsie, New York, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 31 Oct 2015 | Piper PA 28-140 | Perry, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Apr 2015 | Piper PA-28-140 | Lancaster, New York, United States | Hotung Lisa M | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jun 2015 | Cessna 195 | Lancaster, New York, United States | Tesco Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 2015 | Flight CTLS | Queens, New York, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |