Robinson R-22 accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts, August 16, 1999
On August 16, 1999 at about 8:37 pm local time, a Robinson R-22 (helicopter), registered N20879, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mansfield, Massachusetts (Mansfield Municipal). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Was the student pilot's failure to maintain lateral control of the helicopter while bringing it to a hover. A factor in the accident was the student pilot's lack of total experience in helicopters.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1999 · about 8:37 pm local time
- Place
- Mansfield, Massachusetts · Mansfield Municipal
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R-22 · all R-22s on the register
- Registration
- N20879 · no longer on the register · serial 1442
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
With his instructor outside the helicopter watching, the student pilot attempted to bring the helicopter to a hover. With the left skid in the air and the entire right skid on the ground, the helicopter rolled over. No pre-impact failures or malfunctions were found. Federal Aviation Administration Advisory Circular 90-87 (Helicopter Dynamic Rollover) states the following; 'During normal or slope takeoffs and landings with...one skid/wheel on the ground, the bank angle or side drift can place the helicopter in a situation where it is pivoting (rolling) about a skid/wheel which is still in contact with the ground....if a roll rate is permitted to develop, a critical bank angle...may be reached where roll cannot be corrected, even with full lateral cyclic.' The student pilot had logged a total of 27 hours of flight experience with all 27 hours in helicopters.
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: student
- Flight time: 27 hours in all; 27 in this make and model; 25 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,132 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 9, 1999; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,100 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 1B9 at 8:37 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Observation at 7:53 pm from OWD, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.