No fatalities

3 Mar 2015: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA BETA — San Bernardino, CA

San Bernardino, CA, United States

On 3 Mar 2015, a ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA BETA was involved in an aviation accident near San Bernardino, CA. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the ground, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent dynamic rollover. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A helicopter rolled onto its right side after the right skid caught on rough terrain during a hover maneuver, resulting in substantial damage.

Incident Overview

A helicopter sustained substantial damage when it rolled over during a pedal turn at a hover. The pilot reported that the maneuver was being conducted over rough dirt and grass east of the taxiway. During the turn, the right skid contacted the ground and became lodged, causing the helicopter to spin and roll onto its right side. The main rotor blades struck the ground during the rollover, resulting in damage to both the blades and the fuselage.

Pilot Statement

The pilot stated that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. The incident occurred while the helicopter was at a hover, performing a pedal turn—a common maneuver used to rotate the helicopter around its vertical axis.

Damage Assessment

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades and the fuselage. No other damage was reported.

Investigation

No further details regarding the cause of the accident have been released. The pilot's report provides the primary account of the events leading to the rollover.

Contributing factors

Altitude — Not attained/maintainedPilot