N822U – ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA – 2009-10-24 NTSB Accident Report

On October 24, 2009, a Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA (N822U) was involved in an incident near Scranton, SC. All 1 person aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter.

The helicopter pilot stated that he had just completed the first leg of a three-stop cross country flight. After landing, he hover-taxied toward the runway and performed a left pedal turn to observe the windsock. The pilot lost control of the helicopter, the tail rotor struck an embankment parallel to the runway, "which resulted in a 180-degree spin to the left and dynamic rollover." The helicopter came to rest on its left side, and incurred substantial damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and rotor blades. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter prior to the accident. He further stated that the accident could have been avoided by performance of the clearing turn farther from the embankment.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA10CA039. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N822U.