Pilot Debrief

ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA near Tampa, FL — 2013-01-02

Final reportERA13LA104
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Date
2013-01-02
Location
Tampa, FL, USA
Airport
TPF
Aircraft
ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA
Registration
N345VH
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The student pilot’s delayed throttle application during the practice autorotation and the flight instructor’s lack of immediate remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and her student were practicing autorotations. The student entered a practice autorotation at 500 feet above ground level (agl) and at 70 knots. About 40 feet agl, the student bled off airspeed by flaring the helicopter. The student advanced the throttle, but the rpm started to decay. The instructor had her hands on the controls and added throttle to arrest the rpm decay. When the rpm continued to decay, she took the controls and performed a hovering autorotation. The helicopter impacted a grassy area next to the runway, bounced, and rolled over, coming to an immediate stop. The fuselage and main rotor sustained substantial damage. The flight instructor reported that there was excessive play in the left throttle and that she had reported the condition to the operator’s mechanic twice previously. Examination of the throttle system found it to be in an airworthy condition.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Instructor could have insisted on maintenance for throttle play before the flight.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 7 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents7

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