Robinson R22 MARINER accident near So. Windsor, Connecticut, June 3, 1987
On June 3, 1987 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Robinson R22 MARINER (helicopter), registered N2287L, was destroyed in an accident near So. Windsor, Connecticut. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A LOSS OF CONTROL IN FLIGHT FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 3, 1987 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- So. Windsor, Connecticut
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 MARINER R22 MARINE · all R22 MARINERs on the register
- Registration
- N2287L · no longer on the register · serial 0512M
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE STUDENT & FLT INSTRUCTOR (CFI) TOOK OFF ON A TRAINING FLT IN A ROBINSON R22 MARINER (FLOAT EQUIPPED) HELICOPTER. DRG THE RETURN FLT FM A PRACTICE AREA, THE HELICOPTER CRASHED. BFR THE ACDNT, 2 WITNESSES HEARD THE HELICOPTER, BUT DID NOT SEE IT UNTIL AFTER THEY HEARD AN UNUSUAL NOISE. ONE WITNESS SAID HE 'HEARD A LOUD PING, LIKE METAL AGAINST METAL.' AT ABOUT THAT TIME, BOTH WITNESSES NOTED AN INTERUPTION IN ENG PWR & SAW PIECES COMING OFF THE HELICOPTER AS IT FELL TO THE GND. IT CRASHED IN AN INVERTED ATTITUDE & BURNED. AN EXAM OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES HAD STRUCK THE TAIL BOOM & THE ENTIRE TAIL ASSEMBLY (INCLUDING STABILIZERS, TAIL ROTOR GEAR BOX & TAIL ROTOR) HAD SEPD. THE TAIL ASSEMBLY FELL TO THE GND APRX 250' FM THE MAIN WRECKAGE. NO PRE-EXISTING MECH PROBLEMS OR SEVERE MAST BUMPING WERE EVIDENT. THE CFI HAD 451 HRS OF FLT TIME, ALL IN R22 HELICOPTERS. IN THE PREV 5 DAYS, HE HAD FLOWN 2 HRS IN FLOAT EQUIPPED (MARINER) R22'S & HAD MADE WATER LANDINGS, BUT NO INSTRUCTION IN THE MARINER OR ITS DIFFERENCES WAS VERIFIED.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 451 hours in all; 451 in this make and model; 138 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days; 401 as pilot in command; 254 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 13, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-B2C (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Ellington CT
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat
- Temperature: 75°F (24°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.
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.