Robinson R22 Helicopter Becomes Unintentional UAV | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Sat, Dec 05, 2009

Robinson R22 Helicopter Becomes Unintentional UAV

Helo Lands In The Atlantic Ocean After Pilot Falls Off Skid

The pilot of a 2002 Robinson R22 was, oddly, not aboard his aircraft when it went down in about four feet of water off the coast of Indian Key, FL, on Saturday Nov 28.

The Florida Keys newspaper The Keynoter quoted FAA spokesperson Kathleen Bergen stating the aircraft "apparently took off without its pilot and landed in the ocean."  It didn't escape her notice that this "...certainly seems to be a rare occurrence."

Witnesses report the helo initially landed in a field at Indian Key State Park around 2:30 p.m. Saturday where the pilot stepped out of the cockpit to check the rear rotor. The pilot was still outside, standing on one of the skids, when the helicopter lifted back into the air and headed out to sea.

Private boaters were nice enough to bring the pilot back to shore for medical attention.  He fell from the helo prior to impact and is reported to have a broken arm and a bruised pride.  A salvage boat recovered the wreckage before the end of the day.

The identity of the pilot has not been confirmed. The aircraft is registered to G & S Helicopters, which is owned by Don and Margaret Gerloff of Islamorada.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC