Robinson R22 Beta accident near Nashua, New Hampshire, June 27, 2003
On June 27, 2003 at about 9:30 pm local time, a Robinson R22 Beta (helicopter), registered N185MH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Nashua, New Hampshire. 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 determine the wind direction, which resulted in a hard, tailwind landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 27, 2003 · about 9:30 pm local time
- Place
- Nashua, New Hampshire · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 Beta · all R22 Betas on the register
- Registration
- N185MH · no longer on the register · serial 0976
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While the student pilot was practicing departures and approaches-to-a-hover, he had to apply more right torque pedal during departure than usual. While completing another normal approach, when the helicopter was about 10 feet agl, the pilot increased the collective to enter into a hover. When he increased the collective, the helicopter descended rapidly to the ground and landed on the rear skids. Then the nose dropped, and the helicopter slid forward. The pilot stated that in retrospect, he recalled needing a "great deal" of right peddle to maintain heading, "perhaps nearly full travel." He did not realize until later that he had landed with a tailwind, and subsequently remembered looking directly into the mouth of the windsock.
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
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 23 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ASH Nashua Boire Fi NH
- Destination: Nashua Boire NH
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.
Other NTSB records under N185MH 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.