Robinson R22 BETA accident near Englewood, Colorado, March 25, 1999
On March 25, 1999 at about 11:30 pm local time, a Robinson R22 BETA (helicopter), registered N8354Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Englewood, Colorado. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor allowed the rotor rpm to decay during an autorotation which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 1999 · about 11:30 pm local time
- Place
- Englewood, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA · all R22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N8354Z · no longer on the register · serial 2723
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and his student were practicing autorotations. The entry was made at 700 feet above the ground (agl), and the turn was completed at approximately 200 agl. As the helicopter rolled out of the turn, the collective was lowered 'but not enough,' and the rpm continued to decay. At the end of the flare, approximately 20-25 feet agl, a high sink rate began to build. The instructor took control and rolled the throttle to recover the rpm but did not have sufficient altitude or rpm. The helicopter impacted the ground hard in a level attitude. Upon impact, the skids buckled outward and the main rotor blades flexed downward, severing the tail boom.
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: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 130 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 13,800 as pilot in command; 6,700 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 777 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 1, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-A1D (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: APA CO at 11:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from APA, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N8354Z 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.