Accident Robinson R22 Beta N994RW,
ASN logo
ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 294548
 
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information. If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.

Date:Sunday 5 September 2004
Time:08:20 LT
Type:Silhouette image of generic R22 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Robinson R22 Beta
Owner/operator:Silver State Helicopter
Registration: N994RW
MSN: 3583
Year of manufacture:2003
Total airframe hrs:350 hours
Engine model:Lycoming O-360-J2A
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:North Las Vegas, Nevada -   United States of America
Phase: Unknown
Nature:Training
Departure airport:Las Vegas-North Las Vegas Airport, NV (VGT/KVGT)
Destination airport:Las Vegas-North Las Vegas Airport, NV (VGT/KVGT)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The helicopter hit the ground hard during a practice autorotation and rolled over. The accident occurred during the 7th approach to the runway. An on-duty air traffic controller observed the helicopter perform what he described as a very steep approach to the runway. The helicopter's descent rate did not appear to significantly decrease, whereupon it impacted the ground and rolled over. The instructor said that after the student improperly initiated the autorotation, he told his student that he had the controls. The student let go of the controls, and the instructor commenced the 180-degree turn toward the runway. The instructor said he intended to complete the maneuver by performing a power recovery and a go-around. The instructor said that as he rolled out of the turn and attempted the power recovery, he realized that he had accumulated a huge descent rate that did not seem to stabilize after leveling out at approximately 15 feet above ground level (agl). The helicopter was still descending very fast when he pulled aft cyclic and attempted to roll the throttle on and raise the collective, but before he could complete the flare, the helicopter hit the ground, slid for approximately 200 to 300 feet, and rolled over.

Probable Cause: The certified flight instructor's misjudged flare and delayed recovery from the practice autorotation.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: LAX04LA314
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 1 year and 6 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB LAX04LA314

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
11-Oct-2022 19:28 ASN Update Bot Added

Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org