Pilot Debrief

ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44 near Lakewood, NJ — 2011-07-04

Final reportERA11LA380
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Date
2011-07-04
Location
Lakewood, NJ, USA
Airport
N12
Aircraft
ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44
Registration
N64JM
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Hover

Probable cause

The pilot’s inadequate yaw control of the helicopter while hovering.

NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that the helicopter was facing southeast and that the wind was from the southwest at 3 knots, resulting in a 90-degree right crosswind. As soon as the pilot lifted to a hover and began to move forward, the helicopter began to spin to the right. He applied full left pedal input, but the spin continued. He maneuvered the helicopter away from nearby aircraft and into a clear area where he executed a hovering autorotation. Upon touchdown, the skids spread, and the occupants exited the helicopter. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the tail rotor drive system components.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the takeoff after losing anti-torque control.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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