ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 72836
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| Date: | Wednesday 17 February 2010 |
| Time: | 14:50 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta II |
| Owner/operator: | Richard Coe |
| Registration: | N313DA |
| MSN: | 3860 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2005 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360 SERIES |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Northeast of Zediker and Parlier, Fresno County, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Fresno, California (FAT/KFAT) |
| Meadows Field Airport, Bakersfield, California (BFL/KBFL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On February 17, 2010, at 14:50 PST (Pacific Standard Time), N313DA, a Robinson R22 Beta, force-landed in a field near Parlier, California. The commercial pilot and one passenger were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor assembly. The pilot operated the helicopter under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 and visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The flight departed from Fresno Yosemite International Airport, Fresno, California (FAT), at 14:30 PST, and was on the first leg of a trip to North Las Vegas Airport, Las Vegas, Nevada. The first planned stop was Meadows Field Airport, Bakersfield, California (BFL).
According to the pilot, he was established in straight-and-level flight when he initiated a 10- to 20-degree banked turn to the right. The helicopter immediately rolled inverted and the pilot applied aft cyclic and lowered the collective. The pilot was able to regain control of the helicopter and perform a powered landing to a field. Damage to the helicopter included a fractured rotor blade spindle tusk, fractured pitch link, crushed elastomeric teeter stops, and a shallow, diagonal crease in the tail boom just forward of the tail rotor.
Pilot Statement
The pilot had just entered into a lease/purchase agreement on the helicopter. The pilot reported that he and a passenger were ferrying the helicopter from Fresno to Las Vegas and their initial stop was going to be Bakersfield. As he was approaching Reedley, California, at 1,100 feet mean sea level (800 feet above ground level (AGL)) and 85 knots, he initiated a “shallow right turn while slightly increasing collective.” The helicopter “abruptly rolled to the right at a rate well in excess of 100 degrees per second. By the time I recognized a possible low G situation, we were inverted.” The pilot immediately applied aft cyclic to reload the rotor disc and lowered the collective, which resulted in a split-S maneuver. He then entered a precautionary autorotation. At approximately 100 feet AGL and 70 knots, he arrested the descent and continued the autorotation to a field. As he approached the landing spot, he initiated a power recovery and entered a flare. He stated that he executed a normal set down, rolled off the power, and disengaged the clutch. As the main rotor slowed, it became evident to the pilot that the droop stops had broken and the blades began to sag. He applied the rotor brake and the retreating blade impacted the tail boom at a slow speed.
Passenger Statement
The passenger submitted a written statement. She reported that she was seated in the left seat of the helicopter and her boss was flying the helicopter. They were ferrying the helicopter from Fresno to Las Vegas. To her understanding, the helicopter was just purchased out of overhaul. When they got into the helicopter, the pilot did a preflight before they left the airport and began their flight to Las Vegas. The passenger was enjoying the flight and taking photographs when she noted to the pilot that the cyclic appeared shaky. The passenger’s only other flight in a helicopter had been on an introductory flight, and she did not experience the cyclic vibrating during that flight. She indicated that because she is not a pilot, she did not know if the vibration was normal or not. She was looking out of the window when the helicopter tilted to the right, front side, and then became inverted. The passenger could see the ground coming up quickly. She screamed and then closed her eyes thinking that the helicopter was going to collide with the ground. In just a few seconds, the helicopter was upright and they were descending slowly to land. According to the passenger, the landing was a very smooth and gentle.
Probable Cause: The pilot inadvertently entered a low-G condition during cruise flight, which resulted in a momentary loss of control of the helicopter and mast bumping.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
2. FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=313DA
3. http://helihub.com/2010/02/19/17-feb-10-n-robinson-r22-parlier-us-california/
4. http://helicoptersafety.blogspot.com/2010/02/17-feb-10-n313da-robinson-r22-reedley.html
5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parlier,_California
6. http://www.robinsonhelicopters.org/forum/index.php?topic=1028.0;wap2
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 10 February 2015 | VH-YLP | Platinum Helicopters Pty Ltd | 0 | Orange Airport, Orange, NSW |  |
sub |
| Loss of control | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Feb-2010 04:03 | RobertMB | Added |
| 18-Feb-2010 06:52 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator] |
| 18-Feb-2010 12:56 | RobertMB | Updated [Source] |
| 04-Oct-2016 14:07 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 04-Oct-2016 22:04 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 15:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Sep-2018 00:22 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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