Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
David Wayne Hooks Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Spring, Texas 77379
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 15:34 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The helicopter experienced dynamic rollover and came to rest on its left side while attempting to take off. The flight instructor reported in the NTSB Form 6120.1 (Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report) that the instructional flight comprised of practice autorotations and rapid decelerations or quick-stops. The practice area where these maneuvers were performed was reported by the flight instructor as "a grassy, dirt area with occasional dirt mounds raising approximately 1 and 1/2 feet above the ground". The ground was also wet and muddy due to thunderstorms having passed through the area prior to the flight. While executing the third quick-stop maneuver, the student pilot receiving instruction performed a normal takeoff from a 3-foot hover. The helicopter assumed a pronounced nose low attitude while accelerating during takeoff and the toe of the right landing gear skid simultaneously contacted a dirt mound. The student attempted to correct the right yawing condition by over-controlling to the left, while the flight instructor compensated by raising the collective and applying right cyclic. The flight instructor concluded that "by the time the inputs were felt the helicopter had reached its critical angle and rolled [to the] left side." The helicopter sustained structural damage to the main rotor, fuselage, tail boom, and tail rotor. The flight instructor and student pilot were able to exit the helicopter unassisted and neither was injured. At the time of the accident the flight instructor reported having accumulated 116 hours as a flight instructor and the student had accumulated a total of 24 hours in helicopters. The weather at the accident site was reported as calm winds, 10 miles visibility, a broken ceiling at 2,100 feet, and a temperature of 26 degrees Celsius.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The student pilot's improper use of the flight controls resulting in dynamic rollover. Contributing factors were the delayed remedial action by the flight instructor and the uneven, muddy terrain conditions.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/25/2007 |
| Event Day of the Week | Wednesday |
| Time of Event | 1534 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Spring |
| Event State | TEXAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 77379 |
| Event Date Year | 2007 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 300343N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0953310W |
| Event Location Airport | David Wayne Hooks |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | KDWH |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | On Airport |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0.1 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 160 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1500 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | -- |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | KDWH |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 160 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | -- |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 2100 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 2100 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Thin Broken |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 26 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 19 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | -- |
| Variable Wind Indicator | -- |
| Wind Speed (knots) | -- |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 29.8 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 23195 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA ROC |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 25 2007 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | DMS |
| Date of most recent change to record | Mar 31 2008 11:52AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\johb |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | Houston, Texas |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N7534S |
| NTSB Number | DFW07CA096 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Robinson |
| Aircraft Model | R-22 Beta |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | -- |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 3657 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1370 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 1 2007 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 1329 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Yes |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | Helicopter Services Inc. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | Spring |
| Aircraft Owner State | TX |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 77379 |
| Operator is an individual? | No |
| Operator Name | David Vargas |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | Spring |
| Operator State | TX |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 77379 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | -- |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | Yes |
| Departure Airport Code | KDWH |
| Departure City | Spring |
| Departure State | TX |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1500 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | dest & departure same, accident can occur anywhere |
| Destination Airport Code | KDWH |
| Destination City | -- |
| Destination State | -- |
| Destination Country | -- |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Takeoff - roll/run |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | May 7 2007 4:21PM |
| User who most recently changed record | CASH |
| Since inspection or accident | Last Inspection |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 17R |
| Runway Length | 7009 |
| Runway Width | 100 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |