Robinson R22 accident near Skiatook, Oklahoma, September 24, 2006
On September 24, 2006 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Robinson R22 (helicopter), registered N468SH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Skiatook, Oklahoma (Skiatook 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 failure to maintain control of the helicopter following an encounter with dynamic rollover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 24, 2006 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Skiatook, Oklahoma · Skiatook · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 · all R22s on the register
- Registration
- N468SH · no longer on the register · serial 4042
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The 1,365 hour single engine airplane rated pilot, who had accumulated 33 hours of flight instruction in a helicopter lost control of the helicopter while attempting to take off during his first solo flight. The pilot was attempting to take off on the parallel taxiway to runway 35 on a heading of 350 degrees when he lost control of the aircraft as the helicopter lifted off the ground. The pilot reported in the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1), that the "helicopter became airborne suddenly with much less collective input than I expected." The helicopter began to roll to the right and the pilot then overcorrected to the left with cyclic input and lowered the collective. The helicopter's left skid made contact with the ground first and the helicopter entered a dynamic roll to the left until the main rotor contacted the ground, and the helicopter came to rest on its left side. Prior to the solo flight, the pilot and his instructor discussed the changes in the flight characteristics concerning single occupancy in the helicopter and the procedures for the flight. The pilot was not injured. Weather reported by the pilot was overcast skies, 10 miles visibility with winds from 340 degrees at 10 knots, and a density altitude of approximately 948 feet.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,365 hours in all; 33 in this make and model; 27 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 1,283 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 456 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming 0-360-J2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Silver State Helicopters LLC.
The flight
- Departed from: 2F6 Skiatook OK
- Destination: 2F6 Skiatook OK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,900 ft; ovct at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 pm from KTUL, 12 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.
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.