Robinson Helicopter R44 N4147Q accident near Immokalee, Florida

Probable cause

The flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the student pilot during hover flight, which resulted in main rotor blade contact with the ground after the student pilot applied a sudden control input.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor stated that the accident flight was an introductory flight for a new student pilot. He stated that during an introductory flight, it was normal for a student pilot to take the cyclic control and get familiar with the “feel” of the helicopter. During the accident pilot, the student pilot hovered the helicopter at 10 ft above ground level for about 10 minutes with no anomalies, then suddenly, the student pilot pushed the cyclic forward and to the right “very fast.” The flight instructor could not regain control before the main rotor contacted the ground. The helicopter rolled to the right and came to rest on tits right side, sustaining substantial damage to the main rotor mast, tail rotor, and fuselage. The flight instructor stated there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for ERA23LA350 for the full record.