Probable cause
A loss of engine power due to the pilot inadvertently shutting down the engine.
NTSB analysis
The helicopter pilot stated that, upon reaching cruising altitude, he reached to pull the trim adjustment knob but inadvertently pulled the mixture control knob, which caused the engine to shutdown. The pilot immediately lowered the collective lever and entered an autorotation. He attempted to restart the engine using the throttle and the starter but did not advance the mixture control from the idle cut off position. As he flared the helicopter to land, the windscreen contacted powerlines, and then the helicopter struck an automobile on a roadway. The helicopter sustained damage to the windscreen, main rotor blades, and tailboom. The Pilot's Operating Handbook for the Robinson R-22 states that "If the mixture control is inadvertently pulled in flight, engine stoppage will result. To avoid pulling the wrong control, always reach around left side of cyclic to actuate lateral trim."
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA09CA205 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Mar 22, 2009
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Richmond, Virginia
- Nearest airport
- Richmond International Airport (RIC)
- Highest injury
- Minor
- Minor injuries
- 2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Night
Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA
- N-number
- N2360M
- Category
- Helicopter
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.