ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 74630
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| Date: | Wednesday 2 June 2010 |
| Time: | 16:30 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta II |
| Owner/operator: | Inland Helicopters, Inc. |
| Registration: | N522SA |
| MSN: | 3788 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2004 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2790 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-J2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 3730 N. Center Road, 1 km East of Felts Field Airport, Spokane, WA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Approach |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Felts Field Airport, Spokane, WA (SFF/KSFF)) |
| Felts Field Airport, Spokane, WA (SFF/KSFF)) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On June 2, 2010, about 16:30 PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), a Robinson R22 Beta, N522SA, experienced a main rotor blade strike, which separated the tail boom in flight, while in the landing pattern at Felts Field, Spokane, Washington. Inland Helicopters, Inc., was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. The student pilot sustained fatal injuries; the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the airframe and main rotor blades (MRB) from impact forces. The local instructional flight departed about 16:00 PDT. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The student pilot flew in the traffic pattern with a certified flight instructor, and made a full stop landing on runway 21L. The instructor determined that the student was competent to continue flying solo, and exited the helicopter. This was the student pilot’s fourth solo flight. The student completed about five more touch-and-go landings.
On the accident flight, the student reported downwind to the air traffic control tower (ATCT), and the tower controller stated that he cleared the student for landing. He observed the helicopter on base leg; it appeared to be at a normal altitude and attitude. He did not observe any smoke or anything falling from the helicopter. He looked away for a few seconds; when he looked back up, he did not see it.
Witnesses on the ground observed the helicopter flying the base leg at altitudes similar to what they had observed other helicopters in the past. Several witnesses heard one or two pops. One witness stated that the rotor sounds went silent, and the engine sputtered prior to hearing the popping sounds. Some witnesses saw pieces fly off the helicopter, and then it began to spin clockwise. One witness stated that it was V-shaped before it went nose low, and fell straight to the ground.
Probable Cause: A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation and the student pilot's failure to maintain main rotor rpm. Contributing to the accident was the student pilot's low total flight experience.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
2. FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=522SA
3. http://helihub.com/2010/06/02/02-jun-10-n-robinson-r22-spokanefelts-field-us-washington-1f/
4. http://planecrashmap.com/plane/wa/N522SA/
5. http://www.kwsalvage.com/detail.asp?ID=WBC-AV-102504
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Jun-2010 01:13 | RobertMB | Added |
| 06-Oct-2016 13:50 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 06-Oct-2016 13:51 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Narrative] |
| 06-Oct-2016 13:55 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 06-Oct-2016 13:57 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 06-Oct-2016 13:59 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 26-Nov-2017 17:56 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Sep-2018 23:04 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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