Robinson Helicopter Company · Helicopter
Robinson R22
Is the Robinson R22 safe? It ranks #11 of 16 helicopters we rate, with 27 fatal accidents counted in about 6.6 million US flights since 2008.
Likely range 47 to 57
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 27 in 6.6 million flights
4.1 fatal accidents per million flights. Counted: all civil flights in the United States since 2008 (private, charter, air ambulance, utility, training and other), accidents and unexplained losses; not counted: accidents outside the United States or before 2008, military, test and illegal flights, sabotage, hijackings, shoot-downs and deliberate crew acts.
- Full-loss equivalents
- 25.5
Each counted accident adds the share of people on board who died (1 = no survivors). This is what the score is based on.
- Flights flown
- 6.6 million
Estimated flights of all kinds in the United States since 2008. Flights of all kinds in the United States (private, training, charter and other civil use) 2008 to 3 November 2026, each counted from take-off to final landing: the hours of all US piston helicopters in each year (active aircraft and hours from the FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey), split between types by US-registered aircraft (FAA register, 773 of this type in 2024) times how much each type flies against its class (1.60, mostly from airframe hours in NTSB accident records, partly from hours per aircraft seen by ADS-B receivers in 2019-2022, then matched to the FAA's own hours for this model in 2008-2021), at 0.68 hours per flight from ADS-B tracks: about 413 flights per registered aircraft per year in 2024. Flights and accidents outside the United States, or before 2008, are not used. Against the FAA's hours per helicopter model, this method is off by about 22% on a typical type. Uncertainty roughly ±20%.
- Technology generation
- Piston helicopter
Small fleets are pulled toward the record of the other types of their generation: 5.9 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 11.7 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 92%.
- Likely range
- 47 to 57
The score is 90% likely to lie in this range, given how few accidents a type has and the error in the estimate of its flights.
- Last fatal accident
- 31 August 2023
N112VG LLC, Kingston, NJ, United States of America: 1 of 1 people on board died.
- Aircraft destroyed
- 12
Aircraft the NTSB coded as destroyed in an accident in the United States since 2008, fatal or not, from all causes. The NTSB codes many wrecks as only substantially damaged, so the real number is higher (context only, not in the score).
Compared with everyday risks
One flight on the Robinson R22 carries about the same risk of death as the activities near it below.
- An hour's walk1 in 14 million
- Driving 100 miles (160 km)1 in 5.9 million
- An ordinary day: accidents and violence1 in 1 million
- A day of skiing1 in 830,000
- A scuba dive1 in 500,000
- Cycling 100 miles (160 km)1 in 430,000
- Running a marathon1 in 290,000
- A skydive1 in 250,000
- One flight on the Robinson R22This aircraft1 in 250,000
- A general anaesthetic1 in 100,000
- Riding a motorbike 100 miles (160 km)1 in 83,000
Accident history
27 fatal accidents in the United States since 2008 count toward the score, with 35 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| N112VG LLCRobinson R22 Beta · Kingston, NJ, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On his second solo flight while training for a higher certificate, the pilot left the circuit at Kingston, New Jersey, flew several miles toward a river and lost control; the rotor cut the tail boom and the R22 crashed. He died. The NTSB could not determine why.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Quantum HelicoptersRobinson R22 Beta · Gila Bend, AZ, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On a solo cross-country flight, the student lost control of the R22 on approach to Gila Bend, Arizona, and it hit the ground 212 ft short of the runway; he died. No mechanical fault was found. NTSB: failure to keep control on approach.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Quantum HelicoptersRobinson R22 · Chandler, AZ, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Flying helicopter circuits to a taxiway at Chandler, Arizona, the training R22 was hit by a Piper PA-28 in the traffic pattern; the instructor and the student in the R22 died, while the Piper landed with minor damage. NTSB: the airplane crew did not see and avoid the helicopter.Type: Mid-air collisionNTSB docket | |
| Concho Aviation LLCRobinson R22 Beta · Mentone, TX, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Gathering cattle at low level near Mentone, Texas, the R22 hit a power line and crashed in low brush; the pilot, alone, died. NTSB: he did not keep clear of the lines.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| South Texas Helicopters IncRobinson R22 Beta · Hebbronville, TX, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Two R22s netting deer near Hebbronville, Texas, collided; the spotter helicopter crashed and both on board died, while the other made a forced landing and its two occupants survived. NTSB: the spotter pilot did not keep clear of the other helicopter; impairing drugs contributed.Type: Mid-air collisionNTSB docket | |
| Helisat LLCRobinson R22 · Fulton, MO, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On a solo cross-country training flight near Fulton, Missouri, the student's R22 engine stopped from carburetor ice; he applied heat and entered autorotation too late, the rotor stalled and it spun into the ground. He died.Type: IcingNTSB docket | |
| Concho Aviation LLCRobinson R22 · Sterling City, TX, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Breaking off a landing onto a trailer near Sterling City, Texas, the R22 climbed, spun violently four or five times and fell; the pilot, alone, died. No mechanical fault was found and the NTSB could not determine why control was lost.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Carmichael Helicopter Service LLCRobinson R22 Beta · Electra, TX, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Herding cattle at low level near Electra, Texas, the R22 hit power lines, dived to the ground and burned; the pilot, alone, died. NTSB: he did not keep clear of the lines.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| PrivateRobinson R22 · Arlington, WA, United States of America | 1 killed / 2 on board | Hovering low over King Lake near Arlington, Washington, so the passenger could take pictures, the R22 dipped right, its blades hit the water and it sank; the pilot died and the passenger survived. NTSB: he did not keep clear of the water.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Unknown operatorRobinson R22 Beta · San Pedro, CA, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Taking night photos of cruise ships in the harbour at San Pedro, California, the R22 lost engine power to carburetor ice and spun down into the water; the pilot and the photographer died. NTSB: he did not use carburetor heat, then did not keep rotor rpm.Type: IcingNTSB docket | |
| Unknown operatorRobinson R22 Beta · Lake Worth, FL, United States of America | 1 killed / 2 on board | Practising an autorotation to a taxiway at Palm Beach County Park Airport, Lake Worth, the R22's rotor speed fell too low and the blades stalled; it dropped onto the ground. The instructor died and the student was badly hurt. NTSB: the instructor took over too late.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Channel Islands HelicoptersRobinson R22 Beta · Santa Paula, CA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Flying low over a dry river bed near Santa Paula, California, the R22 hit power lines and crashed; the pilot, alone, died. NTSB: he did not keep clear of the lines.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Rotortrends IncRobinson R22 Beta · Green River, UT, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Looking for shed elk antlers at low level near Green River, Utah, the R22 lost engine power from contaminated fuel and crashed; the pilot and the passenger died. NTSB: his preflight inspection did not find the contamination.Type: FuelNTSB docket | |
| PrivateRobinson R22 Beta II · Apollo Beach, FL, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On a personal flight along the shore near Apollo Beach, Florida, the R22 lost a main rotor blade after mast bumping and fell into the water; the pilot died. The NTSB could not tell why, as one blade was never found.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Helicopter Services IncRobinson R22 Beta · Houston, TX, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | On an aerial photography flight at low level over Houston, the R22 lost engine power and the pilot lost control; it hit the ground and both on board died. The NTSB found no reason for the power loss.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Engine failureNTSB docket | |
| USA Academy OF Aviation, Inc.Robinson R22 Beta · Murrieta, CA, United States of America | 1 killed / 2 on board | Demonstrating a hovering turn at an off-airport hillside near Murrieta, California, the instructor let the R22 touch tall brush; it rolled over and he died. The student was not hurt. NTSB: dynamic rollover after contact with the vegetation.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| PrivateRobinson R22 Beta · Del Valle, TX, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On the way to give a friend a ride, the R22 crossed the Colorado River near Del Valle, Texas, when its main rotor left its normal path; the mast bumped, a blade came off and it crashed. The pilot, alone, died. The NTSB could not determine why.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Inland Helicopters, Inc.Robinson R22 Beta · Spokane, WA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On his fourth solo flight, a student flying touch-and-goes at Felts Field, Spokane, lost engine power on base leg; the rotor speed decayed, the blades cut the tail boom and the R22 fell. He died. The NTSB found no reason for the power loss.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Engine failureNTSB docket | |
| Unknown operatorRobinson R22 Beta II · Cotulla, TX, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | On the sixth flight of the day at a ranch near Cotulla, Texas, the R22 ran out of fuel at low level and crashed; the pilot and the passenger died. NTSB: poor fuel planning (he carried little fuel on purpose to stay agile), and the height was too low to autorotate.Type: FuelNTSB docket | |
| PrivateRobinson R22 Beta · Tahlequah, OK, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | After a night without sleep, the pilot set off in low cloud and mist near Tahlequah, Oklahoma, to fly the R22 to the airport and flew into a field; both on board died. NTSB: impairment from methamphetamine, a narcotic painkiller and fatigue, and no instrument training.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Hillsboro Aviation IncRobinson R22 Beta · Forest Grove, OR, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Practising autorotations with power recovery near Forest Grove, Oregon, before a flight instructor check ride, the crew let the R22's rotor speed fall; the blades stalled and it dropped into the ground. The instructor and the trainee died.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Unknown operatorRobinson R22 Beta · Morristown, AZ, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Rounding up cattle at low level near Morristown, Arizona, the R22 hit a power line and fell to the ground; the pilot, alone, died. NTSB: he did not keep clear of the line.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Orbic Helicopters Sales & Service AT Camarillo LLCRobinson R22 Beta II · Fillmore, CA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On a rented personal flight from Camarillo, the R22's main rotor blades left their normal path and cut the tail boom; it broke up and crashed near Fillmore, California, killing the pilot. The NTSB could not determine why the rotor diverged.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| PrivateRobinson R22 · Dryden, NY, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Two days after getting his helicopter rating, and despite his instructor's warning, the private pilot flew the R22 into cloud near Dryden, New York, and hit terrain; he died. NTSB: continued visual flight into instrument conditions.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| PrivateRobinson R22 Beta II · Olalla, WA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On a pleasure flight from Bremerton, Washington, the private pilot of the R22 Beta II did not use carburetor heat; ice built up, the engine stopped and the helicopter hit the ground near Olalla. He died.Type: IcingNTSB docket | |
| Maintenance Services LLCRobinson R22 Beta II · Wilmington, NC, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | En route at about 200 ft near Wilmington, North Carolina, the R22's engine sputtered, parts came off, and it crashed in a vacant lot and burned; the pilot died. NTSB: he let the rotor rpm decay after a partial loss of power. Carburetor ice was possible but not proven.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| JJ Helicopters, Inc.Robinson R22 Beta · Los Angeles, CA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Flying south at night along the Harbor Freeway in Los Angeles at about 250 ft, the R22 hit unmarked high-voltage lines and fell onto the interstate; the pilot, alone, died. NTSB: he did not keep a safe height above the wires; the dark night contributed.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket |
The NTSB lists 1 more fatal event of the Robinson R22 in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands or another US territory, or on a route outside the US states. They are not used, because the flight count covers US flights since 2008 only.
The R22 is where many American helicopter pilots start, and it is not a forgiving machine to learn on. Up to 28 October 2026, 27 fatal accidents in the United States since 2008 count toward its score, with 35 deaths. Per flight, its record is better than the Robinson R44's, a little ahead of the Schweizer 300, well ahead of the MD 500, and behind the bigger turbine helicopters such as the Bell 206.
What kind of helicopter is the R22?
This two-seat piston helicopter first flew in 1975 and entered service in 1979; Robinson has built about 4,950. It is light and cheap to run, so flight schools use it, and ranches in Texas and the West gather cattle with it. The FAA register held 1,243 R22s in 2008 and 763 in 2026 in our count.
Two design traits explain its reputation. Its two-blade main rotor is light and stores little energy, so after an engine failure the pilot must lower the collective at once, or rotor speed falls too far to recover. And in low-G flight (a sudden push forward on the stick) or strong turbulence, the teetering rotor can strike its own mast. Since 1995, a special FAA rule, SFAR 73, has required extra training and experience for anyone who flies or teaches in an R22 or R44.
How the score works for helicopters
We count fatal accidents in the United States since 2008, from the NTSB database, against about 6.6 million R22 flights, from take-off to final landing, estimated from the FAA register and General Aviation survey. Accidents off the US coast, the Gulf of Mexico included, count; accidents in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are left out. Each type's share of its class's flights follows its registered aircraft and how much that type flies, mostly from airframe hours in NTSB accident records and partly from hours per aircraft seen by ADS-B receivers from 2019 to 2022. For R22s that is then matched to the FAA's own hours for the model (FAA Table MM.1, 2008 to 2021). Many of them school machines, R22s made about a fifth more flights per aircraft than the average piston helicopter. Touch-and-go circuits in training do not count as extra flights.
On our scale, helicopters score far lower than airliners because a flight in one carries far more risk than an airline flight. Per flight, we estimate that the R22 carries about 1.7 times the risk of a Cessna 172, and its flights are shorter (about 0.68 hours against 0.82 for the 172), so per hour the gap is wider still.
What the accidents show
Of the 27, 19 were private, rented, ranch or photography flights and 8 were training flights. In 16, the pilot was alone. Loss of control is the largest group (10), then flight into the ground, water or wires (8).
- Wires. Five R22s hit power lines, three of them while gathering cattle, most recently near Mentone, Texas, on 10 September 2021.
- Power and rotor speed. In six, rotor speed fell too low after a loss of power or during autorotation practice. Carburettor ice stopped the engine three times, including on a night photo flight over the harbour at San Pedro, California, on 4 January 2017 and on a student's solo flight near Fulton, Missouri, on 17 October 2018.
- Unexplained rotor strikes. In four, the rotor hit the mast or the tail boom in flight and the NTSB could not find out why.
- Mid-air collisions. Two in the data, and a third, with an Airbus H125 near McMinnville, Oregon, on 29 October 2026, which killed three people. The NTSB database does not hold it yet, and no cause is published.
Learning to fly in one
Four of the eight training accidents were solo students. Two came in autorotation practice, when rotor speed fell too low: at Forest Grove, Oregon, on 20 September 2009, and at Lake Worth, Florida, on 29 December 2014, where the NTSB found the instructor took over too late. At Chandler, Arizona, on 1 October 2021, a Piper PA-28 hit a training R22 in the traffic pattern and both people in the helicopter died.
Before you sign up:
- Ask how many hours your instructor has in the R22 and how they teach autorotations: to a power recovery or to the ground.
- Look up the school's helicopters by N-number in the NTSB CAROL database, and your instructor in the FAA Airmen Inquiry.
- At a busy airport, ask how the school keeps its helicopter circuits apart from airplane traffic.
How to tell if you are on one
Flight trackers show R22: two seats side by side under a bubble canopy. Compare all types in the helicopter ranking.
Questions people ask
Is the Robinson R22 safe?
For a light helicopter, its recent US record is better than the larger R44's and a little ahead of the other piston trainers we rate, the Schweizer 300 and the Enstrom F-28, though the likely ranges overlap, but weaker than most turbine helicopters. Since 2008 it has 27 fatal accidents in the United States that count toward our score. It is a demanding machine that leaves little time to react to an engine problem, so training and the instructor matter a great deal.
Why does the Robinson R22 have a bad reputation?
Mostly because of its rotor. The light two-blade rotor stores little energy, so rotor speed falls fast if the pilot is slow to react to a power loss, and the rotor can strike its own mast in low-G flight or strong turbulence. After a series of accidents, the FAA made extra training compulsory for R22 and R44 pilots in 1995.
How many Robinson R22 crashes have there been in the US?
Our data counts 27 fatal R22 accidents in the United States from 2008 up to 28 October 2026, with 35 deaths. Eight were training flights. The rest were private, rented, ranch and aerial photography flights.
What is SFAR 73?
Special Federal Aviation Regulation 73 is an FAA rule from 1995 for the Robinson R22 and R44. It requires awareness training on low rotor rpm, low-G flight and mast bumping, and minimum experience before a pilot flies solo, acts as pilot in command or instructs in these types.
Is the R22 a good helicopter to learn to fly in?
Many schools use it because it is cheap to run. It is less forgiving than larger helicopters, so pick a school whose instructors have many hours in the type and teach autorotations with care.
Sources
- 1.NTSB docket: Robinson R22 Beta, Forest Grove, Oregon, 20 September 2009 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 2.NTSB docket: Robinson R22 Beta, Lake Worth, Florida, 29 December 2014 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 3.NTSB docket: Robinson R22, Chandler, Arizona, 1 October 2021 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 4.NTSB docket: Robinson R22, Fulton, Missouri, 17 October 2018 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 5.NTSB docket: Robinson R22 Beta, San Pedro, California, 4 January 2017 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 6.NTSB docket: Robinson R22 Beta, Mentone, Texas, 10 September 2021 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 7.ASN record: Robinson R22 and Airbus H125 mid-air collision, McMinnville, Oregon, 29 October 2026 (opens in a new tab) · Aviation Safety Network
- 8.SafetyScorer exposure model: FAA aircraft register, FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey, OpenSky ADS-B, NTSB airframe hours (opens in a new tab)Flights of all kinds in the United States (private, training, charter and other civil use) 2008 to 3 November 2026, each counted from take-off to final landing: the hours of all US piston helicopters in each year (active aircraft and hours from the FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey), split between types by US-registered aircraft (FAA register, 773 of this type in 2024) times how much each type flies against its class (1.60, mostly from airframe hours in NTSB accident records, partly from hours per aircraft seen by ADS-B receivers in 2019-2022, then matched to the FAA's own hours for this model in 2008-2021), at 0.68 hours per flight from ADS-B tracks: about 413 flights per registered aircraft per year in 2024. Flights and accidents outside the United States, or before 2008, are not used. Against the FAA's hours per helicopter model, this method is off by about 22% on a typical type. Uncertainty roughly ±20%.