Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA N8332T accident near Deer Park, Washington

Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter and his delay in relinquishing control to the flight instructor, which resulted in the instructor’s delayed remedial actions and subsequent hard landing.

NTSB analysis

The flight instructor reported that this was the second training flight for the student. The student was practicing hovering and allowed the helicopter to drift right, and he began to lower the collective. The flight instructor announced repeatedly that he was taking the flight controls, but the student did not relinquish the controls. Control of the helicopter was momentarily lost, and it landed hard. The student said that, while hovering, the helicopter began turning to the right so he tried to correct with the left pedal. The student stated that he "overdid it with the pedal," and the helicopter spun to the left. He reported that the helicopter did "several 360's banking down and the left skid hit the ground," after which the instructor regained control and landed the helicopter hard in a grass field.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR11LA377 for the full record.