Aircraft types · Light helicopter

Robinson R22 / R44 / R66

Robinson helicopters are light helicopters widely used for training, tours and personal flying.

Representative photo of a Robinson R22 / R44 / R66
Photo: Alf van Beem, CC0
On the US register3,176
Valid registrations3,119
Median age19 years
NTSB records since 19821,890

How old is the US fleet?

Age of US-registered Robinson R22 / R44 / R66 aircraft, in years01683365036710–4: 376 aircraft0–45–9: 260 aircraft5–910–14: 437 aircraft10–1415–19: 458 aircraft15–1920–24: 671 aircraft20–2425–29: 275 aircraft25–2930–34: 107 aircraft30–3435–39: 134 aircraft35–3940–44: 33 aircraft40–4445–49: 16 aircraft45–4950+: 3 aircraft50+
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Age (years)Aircraft
0–4376
5–9260
10–14437
15–19458
20–24671
25–29275
30–34107
35–39134
40–4433
45–4916
50+3

Ages from the year of manufacture in the FAA registry. Age alone says little about safety: aircraft are maintained on FAA-approved programs, and older airplanes flown by US airlines must also pass extra FAA aging-airplane inspections and records reviews at set intervals (14 CFR 121.1105).

Most common variants

R44 II
1,380
R22 BETA
634
R44
551
R66
422
R22
131
R22 MARINER
34
R22 ALPHA
16
R44 ASTRO
6

Public NTSB records mentioning this type

The NTSB database lists 1,890 records involving a Robinson R22 / R44 / R66 since 1982: 1,869 classified as accidents and 21 as incidents.

Records per year (last 10 years)

NTSB records per year involving the Robinson R22 / R44 / R66019385877’16: 53 records’16’17: 67 records’17’18: 56 records’18’19: 64 records’19’20: 46 records’20’21: 77 records’21’22: 68 records’22’23: 59 records’23’24: 48 records’24’25: 53 records’25’26: 45 records’26
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YearNTSB records
201653
201767
201856
201964
202046
202177
202268
202359
202448
202553
202645
Please read this before comparing numbers. These are raw counts of NTSB records, not rates. Types that are more numerous, fly more hours, or are used for training naturally appear more often. Counts include minor events and events with no injuries, and can't be used to compare the safety of one type with another. SafelyAboard does not rate or score aircraft. Records also include some events outside the US that the NTSB took part in.

Robinson R22 / R44 / R66: common questions

How many Robinson R22 / R44 / R66 aircraft are registered in the US?

The FAA registry lists 3,176 aircraft matching the Robinson R22 / R44 / R66, of which 3,119 have a valid registration. That includes aircraft registered to airlines, lessors and other owners.

How old is the typical Robinson R22 / R44 / R66 in the US?

The median age, from the year of manufacture in the FAA registry, is about 19 years. Age alone says little about safety: aircraft are maintained on FAA-approved programs, and older airplanes flown by US airlines must also pass extra FAA aging-airplane inspections and records reviews at set intervals (14 CFR 121.1105).

How can I tell if my flight is on a Robinson R22 / R44 / R66?

Your airline's app or booking usually shows the aircraft type. At the gate, you can read the tail number (on US aircraft it starts with N) and look it up on SafelyAboard. Airlines can swap aircraft, so check again on the day.

Is the Robinson R22 / R44 / R66 safe?

SafelyAboard doesn't rate or compare aircraft types. The NTSB record counts on this page depend heavily on how many aircraft exist and how much they fly, so they can't be used to compare safety. For the bigger picture, see our explainer on how safe flying is overall.

Flying on a Robinson R22 / R44 / R66 soon? Get a calm My Flight briefing, read what's normal on a flight, or see how safe flying is overall.

Data: FAA Releasable Aircraft Database (file dated 2026-10-16) and NTSB aviation accident database, refreshed 2026-10-17 20:47 UTC. Counts match FAA/NTSB make and model text and may include closely related variants.