Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA accident near Catano, PR
On January 10, 2015, a Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Catano, PR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 10, 2015
- Place
- Catano, PR
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 18.457°N, 66.098°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150110X10017
Official records · ERA15FA096
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Excerpts, Air Traffic Control Aircraft Accident Package: Document (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 10, 2015, at 1032 Atlantic standard time, a Robinson R-22 Beta, N348VH, operated by Vertical Solutions Helicopter Company, LLC, was destroyed when it impacted waters of San Juan Bay, off shore Cataño, Puerto Rico. The student pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local flight that originated at Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci Airport (TJIG), Isla Grande, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The solo instructional flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. According to the student pilot's flight instructor, the student pilot arrived at the hangar about 0800 and began his preflight inspection of the helicopter. Upon completion of the inspection, they spoke for about 20 minutes about the weather conditions at the airport, whether he had all of his documents on him, how long he would fly and what he would be practicing on the flight. They then wheeled the helicopter outside and the student pilot made final preparations for the flight. About 0845, the student pilot started the helicopter and about 10 minutes later shut it down and walked to the hanger. He explained that the tower controller had said that his request to make right closed traffic patterns could not be accommodated at that time and to try again later. About 0920, the flight instructor phoned the tower to see if the flight could go and got an affirmative response, so he sent the student pilot back out to continue the flight. The helicopter departed the ramp about 0930 and remained in the t
Probable cause
The student pilot’s failure to maintain rotor rpm while maneuvering in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in the helicopter’s uncontrolled descent to the water. Contributing to the accident was the student’s distraction with other aircraft operating in the traffic pattern.
More accidents in PR
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Browse: Puerto Rico · Robinson aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
