NTSB ERA22LA135 — 2022-02-17 · White Plains, New York, United States

Current FAA registration · N929WA

Make / Model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44 II
Year of manufacture: 2018 · 4 years old at event
Engine: LYCOMING IO-540-AE1A5 (260 hp)
Seats / Engines: 4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date: 20180801
ADS-B equipped: Yes — Mode-S ACE18E

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

N929WA ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II None

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to maintain stabilized lateral control during landing in gusty conditions which resulted in a dynamic rollover when the skids contacted the platform unevenly.

Factual narrative

The commercial helicopter pilot was attempting to land on a mobile landing platform in gusty conditions. As the helicopter settled down onto the helipad, the skids contacted the pad unevenly, which caused it to tilt to the right. The pilot attempted to correct and lowered the collective, but the helicopter rapidly entered a dynamic rollover and struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, mast, and main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures 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-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot
— Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Pilot
— Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Lateral/bank control-Not attained/maintained

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2022_ERA22LA135.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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