Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA accident near Mesa, Arizona, September 26, 2022
On September 26, 2022 at about 3:10 pm local time, a 2005 Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA, registered N252SC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mesa, Arizona. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter’s rate of descent, resulting 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
- September 26, 2022 · about 3:10 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA, built 2005 · all R22 BETAs on the register
- Registration
- N252SC · no longer on the register · serial 3893
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While conducting an instructional flight, the flight instructor reported that, he assumed control of the helicopter to demonstrate a left 180° autorotation, and the maneuver began normally. Part way through the maneuver, the pilot noticed that the helicopter was lower in altitude than he expected. He reported that he applied right cyclic and aft cyclic, attempting to slow the rate of descent. The helicopter landed hard and skidded to a stop. When stopped, the flight instructor and the student pilot exited the helicopter, and a postimpact fire ensued. The tail boom and fuselage sustained substantial damage. The pilot 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 Hard landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 918 hours in all; 278 in this make and model; 67 in the last 90 days; 29 in the last 30 days; 788 as pilot in command; 442 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 29, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 53.7 hours in all; 53.7 in this make and model; 17.7 in the last 90 days; 3.1 in the last 30 days; 10.1 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,257.6 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 14, 2022; 11.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 SERIES (piston); 6,257 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Sanbarcollbuscom, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: FFZ Mesa AZ at 2:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 am from KFFZ, 4 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KFFZ 261454Z 05005KT 10SM CLR 29/07 A2994 RMK AO2 SLP112 T02940067 51016=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on December 30, 2022. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | 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.