Robinson R22 B accident near Opa Locka, Florida, October 3, 1990
On October 3, 1990 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Robinson R22 B (helicopter), registered N224SW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Opa Locka, Florida (Opa Locka West 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
FAILURE TO USE CARBURETOR HEAT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 3, 1990 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Opa Locka, Florida · Opa Locka West · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 B · all R22 Bs on the register
- Registration
- N224SW · registry record · serial 1234
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CFI STATED THAT DURING THE DOWNWIND LEG, HE WAS EXPLAINING A MANEUVER TO A STUDENT WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY REDUCING THROTTLE & LOWERING COLLECTIVE. HE DID NOT APPLY CARBURETOR HEAT. THE TURN TO BASE WAS SLOW & AFTER REALIZING THAT THE FLT WOULD NOT LAND AT THE PLANNED TOUCHDOWN POINT, THE CFI APPLIED POWER TO GO-AROUND BUT THE ENG WAS SLOW TO RESPOND. DURING THE RUN-ON LANDING, THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER AFTER COLLIDING WITH A DIRT MOUND. THE ENG & ITS SYSTEMS WERE EXAMINED BY AN FAA AIRWORTHINESS INSPECTOR WHO REPORTED THAT THERE WAS NO FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION. ACCORDING TO THE ICING PROBABILITY CHART USING TEMP & DEW POINT TAKEN AT AN ARPT 12 NM SE OF THE ACCIDENT SITE 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE ACCIDENT, CONDITIONS WERE FAVORABLE FOR VISIBLE ICING AT GLIDE & CRUISE POWER.
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, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 1,011 in this make and model; 400 in the last 90 days; 127 in the last 30 days; 1,080 as pilot in command; 866 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 682 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, September 20, 1990; 82 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 3,000 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:48 pm from OPF, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 MIA91LA004.