Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA accident near Louisburg, North Carolina, April 30, 2024
On April 30, 2024, a 2003 Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA, registered N7535Z, was substantially damaged in an accident during approach (VFR pattern downwind) near Louisburg, North Carolina (Triangle North Executive 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 pilot under instruction’s inadvertent use of the mixture control, which resulted in a total loss of engine power.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 30, 2024
- Place
- Louisburg, North Carolina · Triangle North Executive · 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, built 2003 · all R22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N7535Z · no longer on the register · serial 3477
- 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 the student pilot of the helicopter were practicing takeoffs and landings in the airport traffic pattern. During the downwind leg of the second pattern, while the flight instructor was performing pre-landing checks, the student pilot asked the flight instructor if he could activate the carburetor heat, to which the instructor replied in the affirmative. Immediately after, the engine lost power completely and the low rotor rpm warning system activated. The flight instructor and student pilot then realized that the student had inadvertently manipulated the mixture control. The flight instructor took then control of the helicopter, entered an autorotation, and aimed for an open field. During the landing, the main rotor blade struck the tailboom, severing it from the helicopter. While securing the helicopter, the instructor confirmed that the mixture control was pulled out, with the plastic guard around its base. The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during approach (VFR pattern downwind) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control › Fuel control/carburetor › Incorrect use/operation
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,352 hours in all; 515 in this make and model; 237 in the last 90 days; 86 in the last 30 days; 1,303 as pilot in command; 887 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 1 hours in all; 1 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,859 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 1, 2024; 54 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-J2A (piston); 1,459 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LHZ Louisburg NC at 11:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 5,500 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from RWI, 10 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KRWI 300053Z AUTO 17003KT 10SM CLR 22/16 A3004 RMK AO2 SLP172 T02170161
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 2 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on August 30, 2024. 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 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Student Pilot Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | FAA Inspector's Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Investigative Photos | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N7535Z 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.