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WPR15CA119

2015-03-03 · San Bernardino, California, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport SBD

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the ground, which resulted in a loss of control and subsequent dynamic rollover.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that while conducting a pedal turn at a hover over rough dirt and grass east of the taxiway, the right skid contacted the ground and became lodged. The helicopter subsequently spun and rolled on its right side. During the rollover, the helicopter's main rotor blades struck the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades and fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that while conducting a pedal turn at a hover over rough dirt and grass east of the taxiway, the right skid contacted the ground and became lodged. The helicopter subsequently spun and rolled on its right side. During the rollover, the helicopter's main rotor blades struck the ground which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades and fuselage. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunction 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-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2015_WPR15CA119.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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