Pilot Debrief

Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta II near Encinitas, CA — 2009-02-18

Final reportWPR09CA118
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Date
2009-02-18
Location
Encinitas, CA, USA
Aircraft
Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta II
Registration
N588LE
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Initial climb

Probable cause

A partial loss of engine power for an undetermined reason. Contributing to the accident was the soft terrain.

NTSB narrative

The pilot, who also operated the flight school that owned the helicopter, reported that he was giving a prospective flight instructor a pre-employment check ride. The flight instructor entered a practice autorotation from approximately 700 to 800 feet mean sea level to the beach at the ocean shoreline with the plan to perform a power recovery. When the flight instructor attempted to increase power, the power recovered to only approximately 70 percent. The pilot took the flight controls and performed an emergency autorotation to the sandy beach. The helicopter's forward motion was between 3 to 5 knots when it touched down. The pilot said the helicopter stopped suddenly due to the wet sand, causing the aircraft to rock forward and back. The backward motion permitted a main rotor blade to slice through and separate the tail boom. A post accident engine run was performed with no operational difficulties noted.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Engine power loss
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have aborted the autorotation earlier to avoid power loss issues.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

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Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta II near Encinitas, CA — 2009-02-18 · Pilot Debrief