Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA accident near Hanapepe, Hawaii, October 29, 2012
On October 29, 2012 at about 1:45 am local time, a Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA, registered N216AB, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Hanapepe, Hawaii (Port Allen Airport). It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's selection of an unsuitable landing area. Contributing to the pilot’s decision to land in an unsuitable landing area was his lack of helicopter experience, which led him to misidentify the precursor event.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 29, 2012 · about 1:45 am local time
- Place
- Hanapepe, Hawaii · Port Allen Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA · all R22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N216AB · registry record · serial 0663
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he had departed for a solo training flight to add a helicopter rating to his pilot certificate. He accelerated the helicopter to cruise flight and noticed an “unusual vibration.” He performed an immediate precautionary landing. During the touchdown sequence, one of the helicopter’s landing skids hit a tree branch, and the helicopter rolled onto its side. The helicopter’s main rotor impacted the tailboom, which separated from the fuselage. Several days after the accident, the pilot flew with his flight instructor in a different helicopter and attempted to replicate the vibration. As a result of this flight, the pilot believes that he encountered a tailwind during the accident flight that caused him to feel a vibration. Subsequently, the pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Tree(s) › Effect on operation
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Decision related to condition
- factor Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience w/ equipment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 392 hours in all; 23 in this make and model; 299 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 10, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,768 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 5, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320 SERIES (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PAK Hanapepe HI at 1:40 am
- Destination: PAK Hanapepe HI
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 045° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 180°F (82°C), dew point 153°F (67°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from LIH, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.