Event GAA18CA483

Factual narrative

The instructor in the skid-equipped helicopter reported that during hover practice he transferred the flight controls to the student while the helicopter was hovering about 3-feet AGL, instead of a normal 5-foot AGL hover. After a short time, the hover became unstable and he took the flight controls. However, the instructor was not able to regain control of the helicopter. The left skid contacted the ground and the helicopter rolled onto its side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor in the skid-equipped helicopter reported that, during hover practice, he transferred the flight controls to the student while the helicopter was hovering about 3 ft above ground level (agl). He added that he should have started the hover practice at 5 ft agl, which was the normal procedure. Shortly after, the hover became unstable, and the instructor took the flight controls, but he was not able to regain control of the helicopter. The left skid contacted the ground, and the helicopter rolled onto its side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom and vertical stabilizer. 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

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot - C
• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C