Cessna 172M and Robinson Helicopter R44 mid-air collision near Las Vegas, Nevada, November 18, 2022
On November 18, 2022 at about 6:27 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Cessna 172M (N88E) and Robinson Helicopter R44 (N4050P), were involved in a mid-air collision near Las Vegas, Nevada (North Las Vegas airport). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student helicopter pilot’s failure to follow the tower controller’s landing instructions, which resulted in a midair collision.
The student helicopter pilot’s failure to follow the tower controller’s landing instructions, which resulted in a midair collision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 18, 2022 · about 6:27 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · North Las Vegas · map
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Cessna 172M, built 1973 · all 172Ms on the register
- Registration
- N88E · registry record · serial 17261476
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
- Aircraft 2
- Robinson Helicopter R44, built 2020 · all R44s on the register
- Registration
- N4050P · no longer on the register · serial 30061
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Cessna 172M final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot in the helicopter was conducting his first solo flight in the airport traffic pattern at a towered airport. The student pilot was cleared by the local LC2 controller (controller) to depart from taxiway Papa, which parallels the north side of runway 30R, and to fly the taxiway Papa option, which was a closed traffic pattern to the taxiway. After several successful full-stop landings to taxiway Papa, the controller instructed the accident helicopter to, when able, make a right turn on taxiway Kilo, and that landing on the east ramp was at the pilot’s own risk. However, the helicopter pilot reported that he mistakenly flew an approach to runway 30R, rather than taxiway Papa; he then terminated the approach in a hover over the runway. Video surveillance footage shows that the nose of the helicopter was oriented in the landing direction; the student pilot reported being unaware that an airplane was on approach to land on the runway. The airplane then collided with the aft section of the skids and the helicopter pitched up, rotated left about 90° and landed upright on the runway. The accident airplane was on a right downwind to land on runway 30R when the controller advised the pilot of the helicopter traffic operating on taxiway Papa. The airplane pilot stated that she made visual contact with the helicopter and that it appeared to be operating on taxiway Papa. During the turn onto the base leg for runway 30R, the right wing blocked the instructor’s view of the runway and she lost sight of the helicopter. The instructor stated that as they turned onto final approach, she was assisting the student in maintaining airspeed and the glide slope while managing the flap setting. She stated that a moment later, while approaching the runway threshold, she saw the helicopter and it appeared to be hovering over runway 30R, about 100-300 ft past the runway numbers, and not on taxiway Papa. The instructor recalled that it was too late to abort the landing by the time she realized the helicopter’s position, and elected to touch down underneath the helicopter. The airplane’s left wing collided with the skids of the helicopter, the fuselage rotated left, and the wing struck the ground, sustaining substantial damage to the spar. After hearing the helicopter’s call sign to acknowledge the instruction, the controller repeated the instruction and “observed [the] helicopter hovering over Taxiway Papa very slowly drifting towards a right turn on Kilo.” After walking across the tower to view an aircraft entering the pattern, she returned to observe that the Cessna had, “cranked the wheels all the way to the left to avoid the helicopter.” At that time, the helicopter landed on the runway, right in front of the Cessna, and the airplane “tipped on the wing, and for a minute, it looked like it would go upside-down” before turning upright again. The student pilot’s mistaken approach to runway 30R, rather than the taxiway where he was cleared to land (and where he had conducted previous full-stop landings), put him directly in the path of, and facing away from, the approaching airplane.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Robinson Helicopter R44 final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot in the helicopter was conducting his first solo flight in the airport traffic pattern at a towered airport. The student pilot was cleared by the local LC2 controller (controller) to depart from taxiway Papa, which parallels the north side of runway 30R, and to fly the taxiway Papa option, which was a closed traffic pattern to the taxiway. After several successful full-stop landings to taxiway Papa, the controller instructed the accident helicopter to, when able, make a right turn on taxiway Kilo, and that landing on the east ramp was at the pilot’s own risk. However, the helicopter pilot reported that he mistakenly flew an approach to runway 30R, rather than taxiway Papa; he then terminated the approach in a hover over the runway. Video surveillance footage shows that the nose of the helicopter was oriented in the landing direction; the student pilot reported being unaware that an airplane was on approach to land on the runway. The airplane then collided with the aft section of the skids and the helicopter pitched up, rotated left about 90° and landed upright on the runway. The accident airplane was on a right downwind to land on runway 30R when the controller advised the pilot of the helicopter traffic operating on taxiway Papa. The airplane pilot stated that she made visual contact with the helicopter and that it appeared to be operating on taxiway Papa. During the turn onto the base leg for runway 30R, the right wing blocked the instructor’s view of the runway and she lost sight of the helicopter. The instructor stated that as they turned onto final approach, she was assisting the student in maintaining airspeed and the glide slope while managing the flap setting. She stated that a moment later, while approaching the runway threshold, she saw the helicopter and it appeared to be hovering over runway 30R, about 100-300 ft past the runway numbers, and not on taxiway Papa. The instructor recalled that it was too late to abort the landing by the time she realized the helicopter’s position, and elected to touch down underneath the helicopter. The airplane’s left wing collided with the skids of the helicopter, the fuselage rotated left, and the wing struck the ground, sustaining substantial damage to the spar. After hearing the helicopter’s call sign to acknowledge the instruction, the controller repeated the instruction and “observed [the] helicopter hovering over Taxiway Papa very slowly drifting towards a right turn on Kilo.” After walking across the tower to view an aircraft entering the pattern, she returned to observe that the Cessna had, “cranked the wheels all the way to the left to avoid the helicopter.” At that time, the helicopter landed on the runway, right in front of the Cessna, and the airplane “tipped on the wing, and for a minute, it looked like it would go upside-down” before turning upright again. The student pilot’s mistaken approach to runway 30R, rather than the taxiway where he was cleared to land (and where he had conducted previous full-stop landings), put him directly in the path of, and facing away from, the approaching airplane.
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 for the Cessna 172M from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Midair collision during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot of other aircraft
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Lack of action › ATC personnel
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 340.9 hours in all; 36.9 in this make and model; 86.6 in the last 90 days; 33.7 in the last 30 days; 245.9 as pilot in command; 23.8 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 17, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 22 hours in all; 22 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,098.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 25, 2022; 73.1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,300 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E2D (piston); 7,099 hours total
- Operator: 702 Helicopter INC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30R, 4,199 ft by 75 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from KVGT
Weather report (METAR): METAR KVGT 181753Z 00000KT 10SM CLR 10/M08 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP213 T01001078 10106 20050 51012=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
The factual record for the Robinson Helicopter R44 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Midair collision during maneuvering (hover)
- Wrong surface or wrong airport during maneuvering (hover) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Student/instructed pilot
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 60 hours in all; 28 in this make and model; 23 in the last 90 days; 17 in the last 30 days; 7 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,562.6 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 4, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 2,200 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-F1B5 (piston); 3,652 hours total
- Operator: Southern Utah University
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
16 documents, released by the NTSB on December 5, 2024. 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.
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.