Pilot Debrief

ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA near Cedar Lake, IN — 2023-06-19

Final reportCEN23LA247
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Date
2023-06-19
Location
Cedar Lake, IN, USA
Aircraft
ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA
Registration
N4076H
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Descent

Probable cause

The failure of the flight instructor to attain/maintain aircraft control while maneuvering, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent and impact with the lake.

NTSB narrative

The flight instructor stated that when they performed the vortex ring state emergency procedure, the pilot under instruction told him that the helicopter was not producing power. During the descent, the flight controls were then transferred to the flight instructor. The flight instructor stated that the helicopter was not producing power. The flight instructor said he then proceeded to turn northbound to avoid a boat and personnel and landed on a lake. A witness video showed the helicopter descend above the lake and stop the descent in about a 12-15 ft hover. It did a left hover turn for about 90°. The helicopter then stopped turning and appeared to hover taxi forward before it entered a descent. The helicopter skids entered the water and were submerged up to the bottom of the helicopter fuselage. While partially submerged, the helicopter began to rotate to the right and climb out to the bottom of the skids before it rolled left and descended into the water. The video showed that the helicopter was able to hover, perform a hover turn, and attain a partial climb out of the water, all of which demonstrated that the helicopter was not limited in engine performance due to the excess power available to perform these maneuvers. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal helicopter operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Instructor should not have conducted training in rented helicopter per rental agreement.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Video
  • ADS-B / radar
  • Photos
  • 9 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents9

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