Robinson R-22 BETA accident near Sacramento, California, April 28, 1998
On April 28, 1998, a Robinson R-22 BETA (helicopter), registered N805EH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sacramento, California. 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 CFI's failure to follow procedures and directives, and the use of an improper technique to transition from an autorotative descent to a hover, which exceeded the aircraft's performance capabilities and resulted in a unplanned hard landing. The soft terrain was a factor in the nose over and rollover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1998
- Place
- Sacramento, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R-22 BETA · all R-22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N805EH · registry record · serial 1907
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The instructor and student were performing an autorotation with both pilots on the controls. As the power recovery progressed the aircraft continued to descend. The aircraft contacted the ground and slid into soft mud. The toes of the skids sunk into the ground and the aircraft rocked forward onto its nose and then fell on its right side. Both the instructor and student were able to exit the aircraft through the left cabin door without assistance. The instructor attributed the unintended descent to high temperature and humidity near the surface. According to the manufacturer, Robinson Helicopter Safety Notice SN-22 was issued in 1986 and revised in 1994. The document states that rate of descent, trim, and airspeed are also factors that effect the aircraft's ability to transition to a hover. By not reducing the rate of descent but instead reducing forward airspeed and then raising collective and attempting to flare to stop the rate of descent, the aircraft flares in its own downwash. This sequence increases the power and collective pitch required to arrest the descent. The aircraft begins to enter the vortex ring state and a hard landing occurs. This can occur during a steep, power off approach.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,714 hours in all; 3,685 in this make and model; 134 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days; 3,667 as pilot in command; 3,415 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,529 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 17, 1998; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 0O5 Davis CA
- Destination: SAC CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°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 N805EH 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.