Robinson R22 accident near Sterling City, TX
On June 30, 2018, a Robinson R22 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Sterling City, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 30, 2018
- Place
- Sterling City, TX
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 31.860°N, 101.086°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180630X11119
Official records · CEN18FA244
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn June 29, 2018, about 2010 central daylight time, a Robinson R22B, N787SH, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Sterling, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 work use flight. The purpose of the flight was to inspect a nearby stock water tank and inoperative water pump. The pilot had completed the flight and was returning to land on the helicopter's trailer when the accident occurred. A witness, who was located at the home base, stated that she saw the helicopter make an approach to land on the trailer, but the pilot aborted the landing, and the helicopter backed away from the trailer and climbed. The helicopter then began "a violent spin" as it climbed to 20 to 25 ft above the ground. The helicopter spun 4 or 5 times, then the witness heard a loud noise like an engine backfire and the helicopter "fell" to the ground. She could not recall whether she heard the engine producing power following the backfire noise. The witness stated that she thought the spin was in the counterclockwise direction but was not positive. She did not see the impact because of building obstructions. The engine was not running when she reached the helicopter. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe helicopter was configured with a single set of flight controls (pedals, collective, and cyclic) at the right seat. The left seat pilot controls were not installed, and the cover plate for the removed left pedal assembly was not installed. The operator stated that the helicopter was routinely used in cattle
Probable cause
A loss of control during the landing approach for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.
More accidents in TX
- Kubicek BB85, Jul 30, 2016
- Robertson C-414, Jul 29, 1982
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Browse: Texas · 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.
