13 Apr 2019: Robinson R22 UNDESIGNAT — Boatphoto Helicopter Llc

13 Apr 2019: Robinson R22 UNDESIGNAT (N689M) — Boatphoto Helicopter Llc

No fatalities • Bradenton Beach, FL, United States

Probable cause

The pilot's improper decision to execute a low altitude turn that resulted in a strong tailwind and to reduce the airspeed to 0 knots and the flight instructor's diverted attention and inadequate monitoring, which resulted in the helicopter settling with power.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

On April 13, 2019, about 1220 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R22, N689M, was substantially damaged during impact with water while maneuvering near Bradenton Beach, Florida. The flight instructor and private pilot were not injured. The instructional flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Buchan Airport (X36), Englewood, Florida, about 1100. The flight was destined to Clearwater Airport (CLW), Clearwater, Florida. The private pilot stated that he was receiving instruction to prepare for a commercial pilot practical examination. As part of the lesson, the private pilot was flying about 100 ft above the water while the flight instructor took pictures of boats. The private pilot then executed a 180°-turn to obtain a better angle for a photograph. Immediately after the turn, the helicopter lost power and or lift and the pilot assumed "I got into settling with power, because the wind might have shifted." The private pilot tried to level the helicopter before impact with the water, but there was not enough time. The helicopter came to rest inverted in the water and both pilots egressed. The flight instructor stated that the pilot made a turn into a downwind, which put the helicopter in a tailwind. The pilot then pulled back into 0 airspeed and as a result the helicopter settled into its own downwash. The accident happened so quickly that the flight instructor had no time to take the controls and correct. He added that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter. Examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed damage to the main rotor, fuselage and tailboom. The recorded wind at an airport located about 8 miles southeast of the accident site, at 1253, was from 190° at 15 knots.

Contributing factors

  • cause Pilot
  • Effect on operation
  • cause Instructor/check pilot
  • cause Instructor/check pilot
  • cause Performance/control parameters — Not attained/maintained

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 190/15kt, vis 10sm

Loading the flight search…

What you can do on Flight Finder

  • Search flights between any two airports with live fares.
  • By aircraft — pick a plane model (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and see every route it flies from your origin.
  • Route map — click any airport worldwide to explore its destinations, or draw a radius to find nearby airports.
  • Global aviation safety — aviation accident database, 5,200+ records since 1980, with map and rankings by aircraft and operator.
  • NTSB safety feed — recent U.S. aviation accidents and incidents from the official NTSB CAROL database, updated daily.

Frequently asked questions

How do I search flights by aircraft type on FlightFinder?

Pick an aircraft model — Boeing 737, Airbus A320, A380, Boeing 787 Dreamliner and more — enter your origin airport, and FlightFinder shows every route that plane flies from there with live fares.

Which aircraft types can I filter by?

We support Boeing 737/747/757/767/777/787, the full Airbus A220/A319/A320/A321/A330/A340/A350/A380 family, Embraer E170/E175/E190/E195, Bombardier CRJ and Dash 8, and the ATR 42/72 turboprops.

Is FlightFinder free to use?

Search and schedules are free. Pro ($4.99/month, $39/year, or $99 one-time lifetime) unlocks the enriched flight card — on-time stats, CO₂ per passenger, amenities, live gate & weather — plus My Trips with push alerts.

Where does the route data come from?

Live schedules come from Amadeus, AeroDataBox and Travelpayouts. Observed routes (which aircraft actually flew a given city pair) are crowdsourced from adsb.lol ADS-B data under the Open Database License.