Pilot Debrief

ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 near Fallston, MD — 2017-02-04

Final reportERA17CA099
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Date
2017-02-04
Location
Fallston, MD, USA
Airport
W42
Aircraft
ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22
Registration
N7518G
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The student pilot's failure to relinquish the flight controls to the flight instructor, which resulted in a collision with terrain.

NTSB narrative

The student pilot, who held a commercial fixed-wing pilot certificate, was performing hovering flight during his first helicopter lesson when the helicopter "suddenly jerked backwards." The helicopter's tail rotor gearbox and a portion of the tail rotor departed the helicopter, and the flight instructor landed the helicopter upright with no injuries to the two occupants. According to the flight instructor, he monitored the cyclic, collective, and tail rotor controls while explaining hovering flight and surrendered each control to the student pilot one at a time until the student pilot was fully controlling the helicopter. As the helicopter transitioned backward and began a "spin to the left," he requested and took control of the helicopter, but the student pilot did not surrender the controls, and the flight instructor could not overpower the student pilot's inputs before the tail rotor collided with terrain. The flight instructor further stated that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

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

Docket documents4

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