Robinson Helicopter Company R22 accident near Spanish Fork, Utah, May 15, 2023
On May 15, 2023 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 2007 Robinson Helicopter Company R22, registered N227WM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Spanish Fork, Utah. 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 instructor pilot’s improper landing flare during a straight-in autorotation, 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
- May 15, 2023 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Spanish Fork, Utah · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter Company R22, built 2007
- Registration
- N227WM · registry record · serial 4172
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight instructor and student pilot performed a straight-in autorotation with a power recovery maneuver to simulate landing the helicopter with a complete power loss. As the instructor demonstrated the autorotation, during the glide, the instructor realized that he was going to overshoot the landing spot, and forced the helicopter out of trim, which enabled the helicopter to increase its decent rate. As the helicopter crossed 100 ft above ground level, the instructor trimmed the helicopter and noted that the helicopter’s airspeed and rotor RPMs were about 50 knots and 95%, respectively. The instructor initiated a flare and the helicopter started to sink. He then rolled the engine throttle UP and raised the collective, but the helicopter landed hard. Subsequently, the main rotor struck the tailboom, which sustained substantial damage. The flight instructor reported no mechanical failures or anomalies 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
- Autorotation Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain)
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Landing flare › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 357.3 hours in all; 270.7 in this make and model; 167.6 in the last 90 days; 99.4 in the last 30 days; 312.2 as pilot in command; 147.9 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 20, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Dual student
- Certificate: student
- Flight time: 62.6 hours in all; 62.6 in this make and model; 18.4 in the last 90 days; 5.8 in the last 30 days; 10 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,416 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 15, 2023; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360-J2A (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KSPK Spanish Fork UT at 4:30 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.35 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 am from KPVU, 5 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KPVU 151656Z 28007KT 10SM CLR 18/10 A3036 RMK AO2 SLP249 T01780100
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 April 4, 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Accident 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.