Robinson R22 BETA N4041W
14 June 1997 · San Antonio, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 14 June 1997 at about 00:35 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N4041W, operated by Helicopter Experts, was involved in an accident near San Antonio, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. 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 00:35
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Antonio, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Stinson Municipal (SSF)
- Coordinates
- 29.5398, -98.4896
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA
- Registration
- N4041W
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Helicopter Experts
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW97LA226
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
The flight instructor's inadequate supervision during the practice autorotation and his failure to maintain rotor RPM.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The flight instructor was instructing the student pilot in straight-in power recovery autorotations to the center sod. The student initiated the maneuver from an altitude of 1,100 feet MSL, and an airspeed of 65 KIAS, with the rotor RPM in the 'green.' During the autorotation, at 40 feet AGL, the student initiated a cyclic flare. 'As the flare continued, the descent rate slowed.' The student 'started to apply forward cyclic to level the helicopter when it started a left yaw.' The flight instructor got on the controls to align the aircraft with the landing direction, and the low rotor RPM warning horn activated. He 'rolled on the throttle and the helicopter yawed quickly to the right.' After he corrected for the yaw the helicopter 'fell approximately 10 to 15 feet straight down.' It 'impacted [the ground] hard to where the skids were spread out and the seats were collapsed down.'
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Aug 1997 | Robinson R22 BETA | Terrell, Texas, United States | Carl W. Houser | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Nov 1997 | Robinson R22 BETA | Long Beach, California, United States | Jack Watson | No injuries | - |
| 27 Sep 1997 | Robinson R22 BETA | Huntsville, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 1997 | Robinson R22 BETA | Willimantic, Connecticut, United States | Northeast Helicopter Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 17 Oct 1997 | Robinson R22 BETA | Pompano Beach, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Dec 1997 | Robinson R22 BETA | Belle Vernon, Pennsylvania, United States | Airburst Helicopters Inc. | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Jun 1997 | Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9B | El Indio, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1997 | Cessna 182Q | Sugar Land, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-28RT-201 | Whitewright, Texas, United States | Centerline Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 1997 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Edna, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1997 | Cessna 152 | Gorman, Texas, United States | Spencer Jones | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Jul 1997 | Cessna 152 | Fort Worth, Texas, United States | Bridgeport Flight Training | Minor injuries | - |