Robinson R22 BETA accident near East Troy, Wisconsin, May 21, 1999
On May 21, 1999 at about 9:05 pm local time, a Robinson R22 BETA (helicopter), registered N215WW, was substantially damaged in an accident near East Troy, Wisconsin. 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 improper approach to landing A factor associated with the accident was the pilot's inadvertent settling with power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1999 · about 9:05 pm local time
- Place
- East Troy, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA · all R22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N215WW · no longer on the register · serial 0930
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was practicing a pinnacle approach to a specific point in a fallow farm field. The pilot stated that he began a descent towards the landing point and at an altitude of approximately 10 feet agl he began his final vertical descent. The pilot reported that the helicopter began to, '...shudder violently,' and he made the determination that the shuddering was a result from settling with power. The pilot stated that he tried to maneuver the helicopter out of the rotor-blade turbulence by moving the cyclic forward but the helicopter began to descend at an increasing rate. The pilot reported that he was too low to lower collective and he tried to arrest the descent by increasing the helicopter's pitch. The helicopter impacted the ground on the skids and rolled over on the windscreen. The retreating main rotor blade struck the tail-boom, separating it from the helicopter.
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: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 444 hours in all; 130 in this make and model; 63 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,000 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 27, 1999; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 57C at 8:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from UES, 16 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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.
Other NTSB records under N215WW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.