Robinson R22BETA N80783
24 November 1990 · Simi Valley, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 24 November 1990 at about 00:03 local time, a Robinson R22BETA registered N80783, operated by Orbic Helicopter Inc., was involved in an accident near Simi Valley, California, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:03
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Simi Valley, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.2999, -118.7207
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22BETA
- Registration
- N80783
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Orbic Helicopter Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Van Nuys → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91FA037
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
A DIVERGENCE OF THE MAIN ROTOR FROM ITS NORMAL PLANE OF ROTATION FOR AN UNDETERMINED REASON, WHICH RESULTED IN ROTOR CONTACT TO THE TAILBOOM AND COCKPIT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE CFI STATED THE STUDENT WAS A 'BETTER THAN AVERAGE' PILOT. THE STUDENT HAD ACCUMULATED 37 HOURS OF FLIGHT TIME AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO PRACTICE TAKEOFFS, APPROACH TO LANDINGS, AND TRAFFIC PATTERNS. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN THE LOCAL PRACTICE AREA. THERE WERE NO EYE WITNESSES TO THE CRASH. THE WRECKAGE WAS PARTIALLY CONSUMED BY FIRE, AND THE UPPER LEFT DOOR FRAME WAS FOUND SEPARATED FROM THE MAIN WRECKAGE AND EXHIBITED BLACK PAINT TRANSFER FROM BEING STRUCK BY THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE. THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE DIVERGED FROM ITS NORMAL PLANE OF ROTATION AND SEVERED THE TAILBOOM.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Apr 1990 | Cessna 180 | Soledad, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Oct 1990 | Cessna 150 | Riverside, California, United States | PAR Flight | No injuries | - |
| 17 Apr 1990 | Piper PA46 | Paso Robles, California, United States | Piper Aircraft Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Oct 1990 | Cessna 182M | Bakersfield, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1990 | Piper J-3 | Creston, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1990 | Bell 47G4 | Merced, California, United States | John W. Myers | Serious injuries | - |