NTSB Factual Report

On July 2, 2001, about 1900 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R-22 helicopter, N9077Q, was substantially damaged during a loss of control in cruise flight near Columbus, Ohio. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that originated at the Fairfield County Airport (LHQ), Lancaster, Ohio. No flight plan was filed for the personal flight destined for Delaware, Ohio (DLZ), conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

During a telephone interview, the pilot said the purpose of the flight was to help a fellow parachute-club member search for a parachute and deployment bag that had been lost from an airplane the previous day. He said that when he picked up the helicopter, the doors had been removed and were stored in the hangar.

The pilot said he flew from Delaware, Ohio, to the Fairfield County Airport, picked up his friend, conducted the search, and returned his friend to Fairfield County without incident. He said he then serviced the helicopter with fuel, and departed on the return flight to DLZ.

According to the pilot, he was in cruise flight at 2,000 feet mean sea level (msl), approximately 10 miles east of the Port Columbus International Airport (CMH) when the upset occurred. He said:

"I was in the right seat in cruise flight about 80 knots. I looked to my right and got a blast of wind on the back of my head that knocked my glasses and my headset off. All I saw was earth and sky, earth and sky. In my mind, I though I was flipping, then I thought I was spinning. When it stopped, the headset was hanging by the cord outside the helicopter, and my glasses were on the floor."

The pilot said he recovered his headset and glasses, restored communications with air traffic control (ATC), and continued the flight to his destination. The pilot said that based upon the performance and handling of the helicopter, as well as the "normal" indications on the instruments, he determined that it was safe to continue the flight.

The Safety Board did not receive notification of the accident until 6 weeks after the event. Prior to notification, the wreckage was moved, the helicopter was disassembled, and major components of the helicopter were shipped for inspection and repair, or replacement.

The owner of the helicopter provided some photographs and a brief narrative description of the damage. According to the owner:

"…Main rotor blades struck the tail boom. Both M/R blades have a kink in the trailing edge about 40 inches out from the hub, no delamination. The droop stop bolt was sheared. Both mast plastic bumpers were cut through, very slight damage to M/R mast. The paint was chipped off and slight gouge. The M/R hub has damage where it hit the droop stops."

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land, instrument airplane, and multi-engine land (VFR only). The pilot also held a private pilot certificate with a rating for helicopters.

The pilot reported 1,500 hours of flight experience, 99 hours of which were in helicopters. He reported 41 hours of experience in the Robinson R-22.

The weather reported at the Port Columbus International Airport at 1851 was a broken ceiling at 25,000 feet with the wind from 120 degrees at 4 knots.

According to the Robinson R-22 Pilot's Operating Handbook, Doors-off operation:

"...keep head and arms inside cabin to avoid high velocity airstream."

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's loss of control after turning his head into the slipstream outside of the helicopter.