Event CEN11CA022

Factual narrative

The student pilot, with approximately four hours of solo flight time, was landing the single-engine helicopter in a field. On his third solo landing of the day the helicopter began to yaw. As the student pilot added engine power in an attempt to correct for the yaw, the helicopter started to spin. After two to three 360 degree rotations, the student pilot reduced collective input and rolled off the engine throttle to attempt a hovering auto landing. The helicopter landed hard and came to rest in an upright position. The student pilot shut down the helicopter and was able to exit unassisted. The helicopter’s fuselage sustained structural damage during the mishap. No malfunctions or defects with the helicopter’s controls or other systems were reported. The student pilot was landing the helicopter in a field on his third solo landing of the day. During landing, the helicopter began to yaw and he added engine power in an attempt to correct. The helicopter began to spin and after two to three 360-degree rotations, the student pilot reduced collective input and reduced the engine throttle in an attempt to perform an autorotation from a hover. The helicopter landed hard and came to rest in an upright position. The helicopter’s fuselage sustained structural damage during the mishap. The student pilot reported no malfunctions or defects with the helicopter. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Directional control-Not attained/maintained - C