Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA accident near Cahokia, Illinois, September 19, 2014
On September 19, 2014 at about 3:30 pm local time, a 2003 Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA, registered N115DD, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach near Cahokia, Illinois (St Louis Downtown airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s poor decision to take off with the clutch warning light illuminated, which resulted in the total failure of the fan assembly due to a lack of lubrication. Contributing to the accident was the mechanic’s failure to lubricate the lower actuator bearing at the last annual inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 2014 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Cahokia, Illinois · St Louis Downtown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA BETA, built 2003 · all R22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N115DD · registry record · serial 3494
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that the helicopter's clutch warning light illuminated shortly after departure, which he did not think was abnormal because, when the belts heat up and re-tension, it causes the light to briefly illuminate; this was corroborated by the Pilot's Operating Handbook (POH). He continued the takeoff and then watched to see if the light would go out in 10 seconds. However, the POH stated that a pilot should never take off before the clutch warning light goes out. The light did not turn off, so he pulled the clutch circuit breaker and chose to land immediately in a parking lot. After landing, the pilot locked the controls, got out of the helicopter, and looked inside the engine compartment, but he did not see anything abnormal. The pilot said that he did not feel safe in his surroundings, so he chose to get back in the helicopter and make the short flight back to the airport. The pilot then departed and was about 500 yards from landing at the airport when the helicopter began to vibrate and make noise. The pilot initiated an autorotation, but, as he slowed and flared the helicopter, it yawed left as he pulled on the collective. The skids contacted and then dug into the soft ground, and the main rotor blades severed the tail boom. It is likely that the accident could have been prevented if the pilot had not taken off after the clutch warning light illuminated or if he had turned back and landed at the airport after the warning light did not extinguish. A postaccident examination of the helicopter's fan assembly, including the lower sheave and lower actuator bearing, revealed no evidence of lubrication and heat damage, consistent with a lack of lubrication. The helicopter had undergone an annual inspection about 9.1 hours before the accident. Although the mechanic who performed the last annual inspection made an entry in the engine logbook that he lubricated the lower actuator bearing, it is likely that he did not perform that task given the lack of lubrication on the bearing.
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
What happened, in order
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during approach
- Autorotation Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Scheduled/routine inspection › Maintenance personnel
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft handling/service › Maintenance/inspections › Scheduled maint checks › Incorrect service/maintenance
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,600 hours in all; 3,800 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 25, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,805.7 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 30, 2014; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,369 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES (piston); 1,806 hours total
- Operator: Ded Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Cahokia IL at 3:15 pm
- Destination: CPS Cahokia IL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:00 pm from CPS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 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.