Robinson R22B accident near Rialto, California, January 16, 2005
On January 16, 2005 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Robinson R22B (helicopter), registered N1122R, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rialto, California (Rialto Muni 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).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the student pilot's improper use of the cyclic control during a practice autorotation, and the inadequate supervision by the certified flight instructor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 2005 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Rialto, California · Rialto Muni Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22B · all R22Bs on the register
- Registration
- N1122R · registry record · serial 3197
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a practice full-touchdown autorotation, the main rotor blades struck and severed the tail boom. The certified flight instructor (CFI) said that the purpose of the flight was to prepare the commercial pilot (student) for his CFI check ride and they were performing full touchdown autorotations. The helicopter was aligned with the centerline of the south taxiway. At 60 feet agl, the student flared the helicopter and then leveled it for a full touchdown autorotation. When the helicopter was 1 foot agl, the student pushed the cyclic forward and the forward tips of the skids touched the ground. The helicopter rotated aft, and the CFI assumed the controls and leveled the helicopter. Upon touchdown, the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom. The CFI noted no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter.
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
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 7,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 218 hours in all; 17 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Universal Air Academy
The flight
- Departed from: EMT El Monte CA
- Destination: L67 Rialto CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 N1122R the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX05CA071.