Robinson Helicopter R44 N7048C accident near Beardsley, Minnesota

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during the approach to land that resulted in an excessive descent rate and impact with terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the air tour flight reported that he was performing a pedal turn to put the nose of the helicopter into the wind for landing when he overshot the turn with the tail. The pilot tried to correct by performing another rotation, but the low rotor rpm light illuminated, and the low rpm horn sounded. The pilot attempted to lower the collective to regain forward airspeed, but the helicopter landed hard on the skids, bounced, and rolled over onto its left side. A witness reported that the helicopter approached from the north and entered a spiral descent before “it went down” from an altitude of about 80-100 ft. above ground level. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, main rotor blades, and tail rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal helicopter operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN22LA404 for the full record.