ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 73684
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| Date: | Sunday 28 March 2010 |
| Time: | 12:15 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Helicopter Academy LLC |
| Registration: | N72377 |
| MSN: | 1902 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1991 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5485 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-B2C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Atlantic Ocean, Government Cut, 2 miles off Miami Beach, Florida -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | North Perry Airport, Hollywood, Florida (HWO/KHWO) |
| North Perry Airport, Hollywood, Florida (HWO/KHWO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On March 28, 2010, about 12:15 EDT (Eastern Daylight Time), a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter, N72377, operated by Helicopter Academy, ditched in the ocean near Miami Beach, Florida, following a low main rotor RPM event. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The helicopter was not located and recovered. The flight originated from the North Perry Airport (HWO), Hollywood, Florida, about 11:30 EDT.
The pilot stated that they were taking photos of boats in an area about 2 miles from the shore of Government Cut. The pilot had just completed a 180 degree turn at about 100 feet above the water when the helicopter’s low main rotor RPM horn sounded. The pilot adjusted the throttle to compensate for the condition. The main rotor speed recovered for about 3 seconds before the condition reoccurred. The pilot entered an auto rotation. During the flare, the tail end of the helicopter made contact with the water, causing the helicopter to spin uncontrollably to the right. Both occupants evacuated the helicopter moments before it sank into an area where the ocean floor depths are recorded to be between 150 and 250 feet deep. The passenger’s life vest operated; however, the pilot’s life vest did not inflate at the time, but did when tested later. The helicopter did not have a pyrotechnic signalling device on board as per the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, which is required for the type operation that was being conducted. The pilot recalled they were in the water about 10 minutes before a private boat rescued them.
The helicopter’s flight manual, performance section, height-velocity diagram was reviewed by the FAA inspector. At the time of the accident, the helicopter was operating at 100 feet above ground level and 40 knots indicated airspeed. Based on the diagram, this combination placed the helicopter within a performance area that the manufacturer recommended avoiding.
The pilot holds a commercial pilot certificate with a helicopter rating and a flight instructor certificate for helicopters. He obtained a FAA second-class medical certificate on February 2, 2010. At the time of the accident, the pilot reported he had accumulated 790 hours total flight time.
The passenger holds a private pilot certificate with a helicopter rating. He obtained an FAA second-class medical certificate on June 15 2009, with no limitations. At the time of the accident the passenger reported he had accumulated 115 hours total flight time.
Probable Cause: A loss of main rotor rpm for undetermined reasons.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
2. FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=72377
3. http://helihub.com/2010/03/28/28-mar-10-n72377-robinson-r22-miami-beach-us-florida/
4. http://helicoptersafety.blogspot.com/2010/04/28-mar-10-n72377-robinson-r22-miami.html
5. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=50900
6. http://helicopterforum.verticalreference.com/topic/12931-helicopter-academy-boatpix-crash/
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Mar-2010 11:24 | harro | Added |
| 30-Mar-2010 05:10 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 05-Oct-2016 20:02 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 15:55 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Sep-2018 21:25 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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