Robinson R22 accident near Bend, Oregon, July 17, 2007
On July 17, 2007 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Robinson R22 (helicopter), registered N707WH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Bend, Oregon (Bend 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
An excessive descent rate during a simulated power-off autorotation, and the pilot's failure to initiate corrective action in time to keep the helicopter from impacting the terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 17, 2007 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Bend, Oregon · Bend 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 · all R22s on the register
- Registration
- N707WH · no longer on the register · serial 2814
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After completing five or six successful simulated power-off autorotations, the pilot entered an autorotation in which he allowed the helicopter's descent rate to become excessive. Although he attempted to take corrective action, he did not do so in time to keep the aircraft from contacting an asphalt surface with sufficient force to result in substantial damage to the helicopter's airframe.
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
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 485 hours in all; 400 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 2
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-J2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Leading Edge Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: KRDN Bend OR
- Destination: KBDN Bend OR
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 10 knots
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.