Robinson R-22 accident near Sanford, Maine, May 28, 2006
On May 28, 2006 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Robinson R-22 (helicopter), registered N720RJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sanford, Maine. 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 flight instructor's inadvertent encounter with settling-with-power, which resulted in a hard landing, and subsequent roll-over. A factor in the accident was the tailwind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 2006 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Sanford, Maine · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R-22 · all R-22s on the register
- Registration
- N720RJ · registry record · serial 2748042
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was demonstrating air-taxi maneuvers to the student pilot in a Robinson R-22 helicopter. The instructor slowed the helicopter to about 10 knots ground speed in a descending turn, and oriented the helicopter such that it experienced a tailwind. As the helicopter "settled", the pilot attempted to arrest the descent, but could not, and leveled the helicopter prior to a hard landing. The landing gear subsequently collapsed, the helicopter rolled over, and the main rotor blades contacted the ground. The instructor reported that there were no deficiencies with the performance or handling characteristics of 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; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,800 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFM Sanford ME
- Destination: Sanford ME
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.14 inHg
- Observation at 1:15 pm from KSFM
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 NYC06CA125.