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CEN23LA219

2023-05-31 · Pontiac, Michigan, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PTK

Current FAA registration · N7102Z

Make / Model
ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44
Year of manufacture
2013 · 10 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O-540-F1B5 (260 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20130620
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A97EC3

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight crew’s inadequate compensation for gusting wind, and the flight instructor’s delayed remedial action, which resulted in impact with the ground.

Factual narrative

A flight instructor and a private pilot receiving instruction were performing a hovering maneuver as part of a flight lesson. During an exchange of the flight controls, a gust of wind moved the helicopter backward. The flight instructor reassumed control of the helicopter, but the tail rotor assembly struck the ground and separated from the helicopter. He then performed a hovering autorotation, the helicopter landed upright on its skids and the occupants egressed the helicopter without injury. The ground strike resulted in substantial damage to the tailboom assembly. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Instructor/check pilot
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-(general)-Not attained/maintained
  • — Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Wind-Gusts-Response/compensation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2023_CEN23LA219.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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