Robinson R22 accident near Cannes, Fr, December 12, 2016
On December 12, 2016 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Robinson R22 (helicopter), registered FHALD, was destroyed in an accident near Cannes. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
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
- December 12, 2016 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cannes, France
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 · all R22s on the register
- Registration
- FHALD · no longer on the register · serial 4257
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 12, 2016, at 1300 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), a Robinson R-22 helicopter, French registration F-HALD, was destroyed following impact with terrain during a practice autorotation near Cannes-Mandelieu Airport (LFMD), France. The two occupants were uninjured. The Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses (BEA) of France is investigating the accident. As the State of Manufacture of the airplane and engines, the NTSB has designated a U.S. accredited representative to assist the BEA in its investigation. All inquiries concerning this accident should be directed to the BEA of France: Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses Zone Sud – Btiment 153 10 rue de Paris Aéroport du Bourget 93352 Le Bourget Cedex, France Tél. : +33 1 49 92 72 00 Fax : +33 1 49 92 72 03 www.bea.aero
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
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Not recorded
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.