Robinson R22 accident near Caldwell, Idaho, April 22, 2020
On April 22, 2020 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 2004 Robinson R22 (helicopter), registered N6703S, was substantially damaged in an accident near Caldwell, Idaho (Caldwell Industrial 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
The flight instructor's failure to set the proper rotor rpm during a practice autorotation, which led to his failure to maintain a proper descent rate and resulted in a hard, bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2020 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Caldwell, Idaho · Caldwell Industrial · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA, built 2004 · all R22s on the register
- Registration
- N6703S · registry record · serial 3621
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor reported that, during the instructional flight and while conducting a maximum-glide configuration autorotation, he and the student pilot set the rotor rpm between about 93% and 94%. The instructor began applying aft cyclic to slow the descent rate and to regain rpm; however, the descent rate did not decrease, so he applied more left cyclic to no avail and then increased the throttle. The helicopter landed hard at the most level attitude the instructor could make it, and it then bounced and came to rest. The tailboom was substantially damaged. The Pilot's Operating Manual contained a caution that stated to "increase rotor RPM to 97% minimum when autorotating below 500 ft above ground level." The chief flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident 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
- Autorotation Miscellaneous/other
- Autorotation Attempted remediation/recovery
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Instructor/check pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 644 hours in all; 101 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 479 as pilot in command; 292 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 30, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 355 hours in all; 0 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 253 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 21, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,612.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 19, 2020
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES (piston); 5,491 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EUL Caldwell ID at 10:50 pm
- Destination: EUL Caldwell ID
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from KEUL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on August 21, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | POH Excerpt | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Damage Picture | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.