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SEA07CA260

2007-09-12 · Long Beach, California, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KLGB

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The student pilot's loss of directional control while hovering, and the instructor pilot's inadequate remedial action while attempting to take control of the helicopter.

Factual narrative

During the transition from a hover to a landing, the student pilot began to lose directional control of the helicopter. The certified flight instructor then attempted to take control of the helicopter, but he did not ensure that the student had completely removed his feet from the anti-torque pedals. Since the student's right foot was still in contact with the right anti-torque pedal, the aircraft spun to the right approximately two full rotations before impacting the ground and rolling onto its side. During the transition from a hover to a landing, the student pilot began to lose directional control of the helicopter. The certified flight instructor then attempted to take control of the helicopter, but he did not ensure that the student had completely removed his feet from the anti-torque pedals. Since the student's right foot was still in contact with the right anti-torque pedal, the aircraft spun to the right approximately two full rotations before impacting the ground and rolling onto its side. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2007_SEA07CA260.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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