Pilot Debrief

Robinson R22B near Prescott, AZ — 2008-09-11

Final reportLAX08CA298
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Date
2008-09-11
Location
Prescott, AZ, USA
Airport
PRC
Aircraft
Robinson R22B
Registration
N227GH
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to maintain adequate main rotor rpm and the instructor's inadequate supervision and delayed remedial action.

NTSB narrative

A certified flight instructor (CFI) and a student were practicing 180-degree autorotations. While turning final, the airspeed decayed and the student responded by pushing forward on the cyclic. The main rotor rpm dropped to 95 percent as the helicopter was descending. The instructor added throttle but was unable to arrest the descent rate or to recover the main rotor rpm. The right front skid contacted the ground, then the rotor struck the tail boom. The helicopter entered a right spin, drifted to the left, and rolled over. The pilots reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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