No fatalities

7 Jun 2016: ROBINSON HELICOPTER CO R66 NO SERIES — Beaumont, TX

Beaumont, TX, United States

On 7 Jun 2016, a ROBINSON HELICOPTER CO R66 NO SERIES was involved in an aviation accident near Beaumont, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The non-pilot owner's decision to start the helicopter while awaiting the pilot's arrival, which resulted in a loss of yaw control and a 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 over after spinning to the right during startup by its owner, who lacked a pilot certificate. The incident caused substantial damage to the main rotor drive shaft and tail boom.

Accident Sequence

The owner of the helicopter, who did not hold a pilot certificate, reported that he followed the manufacturer's checklist and started the helicopter as he awaited the arrival of his pilot. According to his account, as the main rotor reached "idle speed," the helicopter spun to the right and subsequently rolled over.

Damage

The rollover resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor drive shaft and tail boom. The owner did not report any mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Additional Information

The owner's pilot did not witness the accident and did not authorize the owner's actions. No other details about the helicopter, location, or date were provided in the initial report.

Contributing factors

Owner/builderYaw control — Not attained/maintained