Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA accident near Tampa, Florida, January 2, 2013
On January 2, 2013 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA, registered N345VH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tampa, Florida (Peter O Knight Airport). 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 student pilot’s delayed throttle application during the practice autorotation and the flight instructor’s lack of immediate remedial action, 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
- January 2, 2013 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Peter O Knight Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA · all R22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N345VH · no longer on the register · serial 2314
- 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 her student were practicing autorotations. The student entered a practice autorotation at 500 feet above ground level (agl) and at 70 knots. About 40 feet agl, the student bled off airspeed by flaring the helicopter. The student advanced the throttle, but the rpm started to decay. The instructor had her hands on the controls and added throttle to arrest the rpm decay. When the rpm continued to decay, she took the controls and performed a hovering autorotation. The helicopter impacted a grassy area next to the runway, bounced, and rolled over, coming to an immediate stop. The fuselage and main rotor sustained substantial damage. The flight instructor reported that there was excessive play in the left throttle and that she had reported the condition to the operator’s mechanic twice previously. Examination of the throttle system found it to be in an airworthy condition.
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 NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Delayed action › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 871 hours in all; 89 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 820 as pilot in command; 460 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 15, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 68 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,417 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 12, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIE Clearwater FL at 10:15 pm
- Destination: TPF Tampa FL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 22, 3,580 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 11:15 pm from TPF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on June 5, 2013. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Flight Instructor's Written Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Student Pilot's Written Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Excerpts - Maintenance Logbooks | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Photo 1: Accident Helicopter, View from Left, Aft Side (FAA Digital Photo) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 7 | Photo 2: Fuselage Buckling (FAA Digital Photo) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.