Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA N4076H accident near Cedar Lake, Indiana

Probable cause

The failure of the flight instructor to attain/maintain aircraft control while maneuvering, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and impact with the lake.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor stated that when they performed the vortex ring state emergency procedure, the pilot under instruction told him that the helicopter was not producing power. During the descent, the flight controls were then transferred to the flight instructor. The flight instructor stated that the helicopter was not producing power. The flight instructor said he then proceeded to turn northbound to avoid a boat and personnel and landed on a lake. A witness video showed the helicopter descend above the lake and stop the descent in about a 12-15 ft hover. It did a left hover turn for about 90°. The helicopter then stopped turning and appeared to hover taxi forward before it entered a descent. The helicopter skids entered the water and were submerged up to the bottom of the helicopter fuselage. While partially submerged, the helicopter began to rotate to the right and climb out to the bottom of the skids before it rolled left and descended into the water. The video showed that the helicopter was able to hover, perform a hover turn, and attain a partial climb out of the water, all of which demonstrated that the helicopter was not limited in engine performance due to the excess power available to perform these maneuvers.

Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal helicopter operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN23LA247 for the full record.