Robinson Helicopter Company R22 accident near Truckee, California, November 30, 2017
On November 30, 2017 at about 11:35 pm local time, a 2003 Robinson Helicopter Company R22, registered N47WH, was substantially damaged in an accident near Truckee, California (Truckee-Tahoe airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to execute a power recovery from a non-stabilized autorotative descent, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 2017 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- Truckee, California · Truckee-Tahoe · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter Company R22 MARINER, built 2003
- Registration
- N47WH · registry record · serial 3525
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor was demonstrating an autorotation with a 180° left turn at a density altitude of about 6,470 ft. He entered the maneuver from 700 ft above ground level (agl) and about 80 kts indicated airspeed, established engine rpm, and started the 180° turn. About 1/3 of the way through the turn, he felt he needed a “desirable” speed through the turn and moved the cyclic forward and adjusted the collectively accordingly. The flight instructor stated that when he should have been 2/3 through the turn, he felt that he did not have the cyclic and collective control of the helicopter and he knew they were going to crash. He further stated that he continued “teaching,” and called out “rpm, airspeed, and outside,” while pointing to the tachometer, airspeed indicator, and intended landing spot; he also made control inputs and continued to fly what “had become an unresponsive aircraft.” He also stated that there was no flare at the end of the autorotation and no time for an engine rpm recovery. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The helicopter manufacturer’s Safety Notice SN-38 stated that if any of the parameters for rotor rpm, a stabilized airspeed, a stabilized rate of descent or turns (if any) completed are not correct, an immediate power recovery should be initiated; salvaging the situation by coaching the student or trying to correct below 100 ft agl (200 ft when operating at or above 4000 ft density altitude) should not be attempted. Had the flight instructor aborted the autorotation early on, it is likely he would have regained helicopter control.
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
- Autorotation Attempted remediation/recovery
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Prop/rotor parameters › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Attain/maintain not possible
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,889 hours in all; 1,142 in this make and model; 54 in the last 90 days; 30 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: May 15, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,200 hours in all; 180 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 10, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 219 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-J2A (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Tumbleweed Leasing CO INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 24,000 ft; scat at 17,000 ft
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.17 inHg
- Observation at 3:45 pm from KTRK
Weather report (METAR): METAR KTRK 302345Z 29005KT 10SM SCT017BKN240 10/M05 A3017=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
Other NTSB records under N47WH the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.