The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB WPR11WA351 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Robinson R22 accident near Fitzroy Crossing, Australia, Au, July 27, 2011

On July 27, 2011 at about 9:30 am local time, a Robinson R22 (helicopter), registered VHYOL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Fitzroy Crossing, Australia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under non-U.S. private rules. 1 person was killed.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
July 27, 2011 · about 9:30 am local time
Place
Fitzroy Crossing, Australia, Australia · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was killed.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Robinson R22 Beta · all R22s on the register
Registration
VHYOL · no longer on the register · serial 4463
Damage
Substantial damage
Flight
Flight of an unrecorded kind · non-U.S. private rules

The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record

On July 27, 2011, at 0930 universal coordinated time, a Robinson R-22 Beta, VH-YOL, registered to and operated by a private owner, collided with terrain near Fitzoy Crossing, Australia. The helicopter was substantially damaged and the pilot, the sole occupant, was fatally injured. The flight was operated under the pertinent civil regulations of Australia. The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Government of Australia. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by the Government of Australia. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from: Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) P.O. Box 967, Civic Square Canberra A.C.T. 2608 Australia Tel: +612 6274 6054 Fax: +612 6274 6434 www.atsb.gov.au

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

What happened, in order

  1. Unknown or undetermined during unknown defining event

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming (piston); 0 hours total
  • Operator: Jenyns Pastoral Pty Ltd.

The flight

  • Flight plan: not recorded

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

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.