Robinson R-22 accident near Nashville, Tennessee, September 25, 1982
On September 25, 1982 at about 6:12 pm local time, a Robinson R-22 (helicopter), registered N9072V, was destroyed in an accident near Nashville, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 25, 1982 · about 6:12 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R-22 · all R-22s on the register
- Registration
- N9072V · no longer on the register · serial 0212
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT BETWEEN 100 AND 500 FEET AGL AT A HIGH SPEED WHEN SLAPPING AND CRACKING SOUNDS WERE HEARD, FOLLOWED BY THE IN-FLIGHT BREAKUP OF THE HELICOPTER. THE WRECKAGE WAS SCATTERED OVER 700 FT WITH THE TAILBOOM 200 FT FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED EVIDENCE OF MAIN ROTOR BLADE DIVERGENCE, MAIN ROTOR BLADE STRIKES TO THE TAILBOOM AND SEPARATION OF THE MAIN ROTOR MAST AT THE TOP OF THE TRANSMISSION. A METALLURGIST'S EXAM OF THE PITCH CHANGE LINKS AND MAIN ROTOR BLADE FRACTURES REVEALED OVERSTRESS SEPARATIONS. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,046 hours in all; 30 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 648 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 51 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,300 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Nashville TN at 12:49 pm
- Destination: Nashville TN
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,300 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 154°F (68°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:08 pm from BNA, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.