Robinson R22 BETA N8363D

Summary

On 3 April 2015 at about 16:15 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N8363D was involved in an accident near Fort Davis, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 April 2015 at 16:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Davis, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.5208, -104.1342

Aircraft

Robinson R22 BETA

Registration

N8363D

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1997

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Davis → Fort Davis

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA15CA032

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during flight, which resulted in the helicopter impacting terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated he was positioning the helicopter to have the sole passenger take a photograph of an animal and a settling with power condition occurred. The pilot stated that a gust of wind came from a nearby hill and began to push the helicopter toward the ground so the pilot conducted a running landing to an open field. During the landing, the pilot reported that the helicopter struck an anthill and rolled sideways. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom. The pilot verified that there were no pre-impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.  

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.