CEN20CA180
2020-05-16 · Rochester, Indiana, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Airport RCR
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during lift off. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of recent experience flying a helicopter.
Factual narrative
The commercial pilot reported that he intended to take the helicopter out to practice hover flight. As he started to lift the helicopter off of the ground and move towards the grass, he lost control of the helicopter and it impacted the ground. An examination of the helicopter revealed substantial damage to the tail boom and main rotor. The pilot attributed his inability to maintain control of the helicopter to a stronger than expected crosswind and that he had not flown a helicopter for about 19 years. 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-Pilot - C
- F Personnel issues-Experience/knowledge-Experience/qualifications-Recent experience-Pilot - F
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2020_CEN20CA180.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
Search this event elsewhere
External sources are reported, not agency: signal that something happened, not fact about what happened.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type. All research papers
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Conference paper Relational Energy’s Role in Leadership Development for Airline Executives
Relational energy — the dynamism of emotional and psychological exchanges in interactions — is an overlooked element in leadership development.
- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint Mission Planning and Execution in Heterogeneous Teams of Aerial Robots supporting Power Line Inspection Operations
A software architecture aimed at coordinating a team of heterogeneous aerial vehicles for inspection and maintenance operations in high-voltage power line scenarios is presented in this paper.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper Influence of UAS Pilot Communication and Execution Delay on Controller's Acceptability Ratings of UAS-ATC Interactions
Successful integration of UAS in the NAS will require that UAS interactions with the air traffic management system be similar to interactions between manned aircraft and air traffic management.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM) Development and Execution of the RUNSAFE Runway Safety Bayesian Belief Network Model
One focus area of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is to improve aviation safety. Runway safety is one such thrust of investigation and research.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Paper Playbook for UAS: UX of Goal-Oriented Planning & Execution
We are evaluating Playbook for CASAS (Connected Autonomous Smart Aerospace Systems), a tool designed to aid first responders in disaster relief efforts.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM) Crew Factors in Flight Operations: A Survey of Fatigue Factors in Corporate/Executive A Viation Operations - 8
Corporate flight crews face unique challenges including unscheduled flights, quickly changing schedules, extended duty days, long waits, time zone changes, and peripheral tasks.