Event WPR17LA167

Factual narrative

On July 26, 2017, about 1945 Pacific daylight time, a Robinson Helicopter R44, N7535G, was substantially damaged following takeoff at John Wayne-Orange County Airport (SNA), Santa Ana, California. The commercial pilot was not injured. The helicopter was registered to and operated by RS Aviation Services as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on a company flight plan. The flight originated from SNA with an intended destination of Bob Hope Airport (BUR), Burbank, California. The pilot reported that during takeoff, he experienced a sudden right roll which was uncorrectable with the cyclic input. Video that captured the accident sequence revealed that shortly after takeoff, the helicopter rolled to the right, and the right skid and main rotor blades struck the ground. The helicopter then spun 360° before it came to rest upright with the tailrotor assembly severed from the tailboom. Postaccident examination of the wreckage at the accident site by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that flight control continuity was established with no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter. The commercial pilot reported that during takeoff, the helicopter rolled to the right, and he was unable to arrest the roll with cyclic input. The right skid and main rotor blades struck the ground, and the helicopter spun 360° before it came to rest upright with the tail rotor assembly severed from the tailboom. Postaccident examination of the flight control system revealed flight control continuity with no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. In addition, the pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter at the time of the accident. Thus, it is likely that the pilot failed to maintain helicopter control while maneuvering during takeoff. 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot - C