Robinson R22 N9070N

Summary

On 1 May 1996 at about 01:00 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N9070N was involved in an accident near Santa Ana, California, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

1 May 1996 at 01:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Santa Ana, California, United States

Nearest airport

John Wayne (SNA)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Robinson R22

Registration

N9070N

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX96FA185

1 person was seriously injured.

the pilot misjudged the helicopter's distance and altitude and failed to attain the proper descent rate.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Both pilots were practicing full touchdown autorotations while in the traffic pattern. The second pilot made three successful touchdown autorotations and takeoffs. The first pilot assumed the controls after the second pilot completed the third autorotation. On final approach, the first pilot decelerated the helicopter and increased the glide angle to the runway. He then attempted to decrease the glide angle when it became evident that he was going to land short. The first pilot attempted to arrest the rate of descent, but without success. He was able to level the helicopter before it struck the ground. A ground witness said that the helicopter decelerated and then nosed over. The descent rate was between 1,000 to 2,000 feet per minute, and the main rotor rpm was at 100 percent throughout the sequence of events. The first pilot said he could not recall if the engine responded to his throttle inputs. Postaccident examination disclosed no evidence of any preexisting airframe or engine malfunctions or failures.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.