Robinson Helicopter Company R22 accident near Bozeman, Montana, July 21, 2017
On July 21, 2017 at about 2:30 pm local time, a 2004 Robinson Helicopter Company R22, registered N28VH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bozeman, Montana (Bozeman Yellowstone Intl 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 flight instructor’s unstabilized 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
- July 21, 2017 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Bozeman, Montana · Bozeman Yellowstone Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter Company R22 MARINER, built 2004
- Registration
- N28VH · no longer on the register · serial 3687
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the helicopter flight instructor, he was demonstrating simulated 180° right turn autorotations. He reported that, during the entry of the third autorotation, the helicopter attitude was excessively nose low and the descent rate was high. He initiated a power-on recovery; however, the flare was initiated too late. He applied forward cyclic to level the skids and increased collective to its mechanical limit, but the helicopter touched down hard, and one of the main rotor blades struck the tailboom. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The pilot reported in the National Transportation Safety Board's Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, "The event could have been avoided by recovering the autorotation sooner and doing a go-around." The operator reported that there were no preaccident 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 Miscellaneous/other
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
- Autorotation Attempted remediation/recovery
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Prop/rotor parameters › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 302 hours in all; 182 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days; 208 as pilot in command; 61 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 30, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: private, student
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 193 hours in all; 52 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 61 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 12, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,640.9 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, June 26, 2017
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Rocky Mountain Rotors LLC
The flight
- Departed from: KBZN Bozeman MA at 2:58 pm
- Destination: KBZN Bozeman MA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.13 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from KBZN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 30, 2018. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo (Courtesy of FAA) | 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.