Robinson R22 BETA N40009
7 June 1996 · Santa Clarita, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 7 June 1996 at about 23:15 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N40009, operated by Peter Lowery, was involved in an accident near Santa Clarita, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Santa Clarita, California, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA
- Registration
- N40009
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Peter Lowery
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Van Nuys → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX96LA224
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to abandon the pinnacle approach after encountering an excessive rate of descent.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was making a pinnacle approach to the leeward side of a ridge. As he approached his touchdown point his airspeed was slowing to just above effective translational lift (ETL) when the aircraft was caught in a downdraft. He attempted to maneuver the aircraft but was unable to stop his decent or redirect his forward movement. The aircraft undershot the approach and struck the side of the ridge. The pilot said he had performed a high reconnaissance orbit and had monitored ATIS surface winds.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Oct 1996 | Robinson R22 BETA | Halsey, Oregon, United States | Avia Flight Services Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Dec 1996 | Robinson R22 BETA | Lakeport, California, United States | Resort Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Jun 1996 | Robinson R22 BETA | Paso Robles, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Apr 1996 | Robinson R22 BETA | Franklin, Louisiana, United States | Jerry Satterfield | No injuries | - |
| 22 Dec 1996 | Robinson R22 HP | Islip, New York, United States | Atlantic Coast Helicopter | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 1996 | Robinson R22-BETA | Fairfield, New Jersey, United States | Skyline Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Mar 1996 | Maule M-6-235 | Bishop, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 1996 | Cessna 210A | Truckee, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 1996 | Cessna 152 | Santa Paula, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Oct 1996 | Piper PA-28-140 | Plymouth, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1996 | Cessna T210M | Grass Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172L | Napa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |