Robinson R22 BETA accident near Frederick, Maryland, August 28, 2006
On August 28, 2006 at about 6:15 pm local time, a Robinson R22 BETA (helicopter), registered N2649D, was substantially damaged in an accident near Frederick, Maryland (Frederick Municipal 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).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's delayed remedial action during a hovering autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing and inadvertent dynamic rollover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 2006 · about 6:15 pm local time
- Place
- Frederick, Maryland · Frederick Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA · all R22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N2649D · no longer on the register · serial 0835
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight instructor, he and his student, a certificated airplane pilot, were practicing hovering autorotations about 3 feet above the ground. The student pilot reduced engine power to initiate the maneuver, pushed forward on the cyclic, and the helicopter descended. The flight instructor stated that he assumed cyclic control, and then the helicopter impacted the ground "fairly hard and bounced." The student pilot subsequently pulled up on the collective, the left skid remained in contact with the ground, and the helicopter rolled over on its left side. The flight instructor stated that there were no mechanical or performance deficiencies 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: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 396 hours in all; 396 in this make and model; 171 in the last 90 days; 77 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: August 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 544.4 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 1, 2006; 62.6 hours since
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2C (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KFDK Frederick MD at 6:00 pm
- Destination: KFDK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 6:23 pm from KFDK
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.
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.