| Crash location | 32.322500°N, 93.663889°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 | Shreveport, LA
32.525152°N, 93.750179°W 14.9 miles away |
| Tail number | N721BB |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 19 Jul 2010 |
| Aircraft type | Robinson Helicopter Company R44 Ii |
| Additional details: | None |
According to a written statement provided by the student pilot, he was practicing "sit downs and pick ups" to a grass field. The helicopter "sat down" uneventfully and the student pilot reduced power to chat with a friend. Shortly thereafter, the student pilot added power, ensured all engine instruments were in the green, and attempted a takeoff. The student pilot detected a tailwind and applied left pedal correction; however, the helicopter yawed to the right one full rotation before the student pilot was able to set the helicopter back down. During the hard landing the horizontal stabilizer was bent, both tail rotor blades were damaged, the tail boom was wrinkled, and the fuselage was wrinkled on the right side. An examination of the helicopter and its related systems, conducted by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, revealed no anomalies.
The student pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during takeoff, resulting in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness and a subsequent hard landing.