'Nothing out of the ordinary' before SUU helicopter crash, report says

CEDAR CITY — Federal investigators say that a Southern Utah University flight instructor failed to maintain proper pitch control, which led to a helicopter crash that injured the instructor and a student earlier this year.

The National Transportation Safety Board released its final report on the May 23 crash at Cedar City Regional Airport earlier this month, determining that the flight instructor's "failure to maintain helicopter control while manipulating the engine governor reference (revolutions per minute) adjustment during hover operations" led to a loss of control and subsequent crash.

The pilot and student suffered minor injuries. They were transported to a hospital while the aircraft suffered "significant damage," Cedar City police said after the crash.

The report included video of the crash. It shows the helicopter, a Robinson R-44|I, hovering slightly toward an airport taxiway before its tail dips closer to the ground.

The aircraft bounced off the ground slightly before suddenly jerking upward and spinning out of control. It began to break apart after hitting the ground, rolling a few times before coming to a rest near the airport taxiway.

Another helicopter pilot and passenger were nearby, rushing out of their aircraft to render aid.

The crash happened before a planned external load training flight.

The pilot, a 32-year-old man and flight instructor, told investigators that he noticed that the helicopter engine's RPM reached 104%, which he said was "higher than I had previously experienced," the report stated. He reached across to the aircraft's right-seat collective-mounted governor control button when it began losing control and crashing.

According to the 20-something-year-old student, there was "nothing out of the ordinary" as the instructor went through a startup checklist and prepared to depart. Everything changed quickly.

"As we were slowly moving forward, the nose appeared to pitch up while at the same time the engine sounded like it spooled down a bit and we began to sink rapidly from the hover," they noted in a statement to investigators. "Then, having bounced from the ground, we began to spin and lose control of the aircraft, shortly later impacting the taxiway and the dirt beyond."

Investigators found no evidence of mechanical failure during their review of the incident.

The school's aviation program includes helicopter and airplane pilot training. It says its aviation program features the "largest university-owned helicopter training fleet in the world."

In a statement to KSL, SUU officials said they're grateful that both individuals on board are recovering. They added that they are still "thoroughly reviewing" the NTSB report for any improvements.

"Incidents of this nature are taken with the utmost seriousness, and maintaining a rigorous culture of safety remains our highest priority," it read, in part. "We appreciate all those who responded quickly, including first responders and the NTSB. We remain deeply committed to the ongoing safety and well-being of our students, faculty, staff and community."

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