| Crash location | 41.535000°N, 87.529445°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Chicago, IL
41.850033°N, 87.650052°W 22.6 miles away |
| Tail number | N554SA |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 02 Oct 2013 |
| Aircraft type | Robinson R22 - Beta |
| Additional details: | None |
The student pilot stated they had been practicing hovering for about 30 minutes, and were about two feet above the ground. He recalled that he was "controlling the cyclic and maybe the collective, but not the pedals." The flight instructor thought they were three to five feet above the ground. The helicopter experienced a pendular motion and began traveling backwards and to the right. The right skid made contact with the ground, which resulted in the tail impacting the ground and the helicopter rolling onto its side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor.
The flight instructor's failure to take remedial action in a timely manner.