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GAA17CA555

2017-09-21 · Fayetteville, North Carolina, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport FAY

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot’s failure to maintain lateral control during a hover pedal turn.

Factual narrative

The solo student pilot reported that the purpose of his flight was to practice hover taxi. During a peddle turn to the right, about 3 to 5 ft above the ground, the helicopter rolled onto its side. A postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed substantial damage to the tail boom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The solo student pilot reported that the purpose of his flight was to practice hover taxi. During a right pedal turn, about 3 to 5 ft above the ground, the helicopter rolled onto its side. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed substantial damage to the tailboom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident 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.

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

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_GAA17CA555.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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