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CEN14CA108

2014-01-09 · Beaumont, Texas, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BMT

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot not controlling the helicopter following a wind gust and the flight instructor's inadequate remedial action resulting in the helicopter rolling over on its side during a landing.

Factual narrative

For about 30 minutes, the flight instructor and his student pilot were practicing hovering and landings on a level concrete area. During the accident touchdown, a wind gust or wind shift occurred and the helicopter shifted sideways. The pilots felt the skids "catch" and the left side of the helicopter began to lift. The flight instructor called for and took control of the helicopter. The student pilot had not released his controls. The helicopter then rolled onto its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial tailboom damage. The pilot's accident report indicated that there were no helicopter mechanical malfunctions. For about 30 minutes, the flight instructor and his student pilot were practicing hovering and landings on a level concrete area. During the accident touchdown, a wind gust or wind shift occurred and the helicopter shifted sideways. The pilots felt the skids "catch" and the left side of the helicopter began to lift. The flight instructor called for and took control of the helicopter. The student pilot had not released his controls. The helicopter then rolled onto its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial tailboom damage. The pilot's accident report indicated that there were no helicopter mechanical malfunctions. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Student pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-(general)-Instructor/check pilot - C
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Contributed to outcome

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2014_CEN14CA108.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (icing). All research papers