Robinson R-22-BETA N4076Z
9 September 1999 · Piute, Nevada, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 9 September 1999 at about 18:30 local time, a Robinson R-22-BETA registered N4076Z was involved in an accident near Piute, Nevada, 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 18:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Piute, Nevada, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.1592, -115.4302
- Aircraft
- Robinson R-22-BETA
- Registration
- N4076Z
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX99LA300
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
the failure of the pilot to maintain rotor rpm while practicing autorotations, resulting in a hard landing and roll over.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
Two flight instructors were practicing autorotations. The last planned autorotation began at 600 feet above ground level (agl) and 70 knots. Turning into the landing area, the pilot was maintaining rotor rpm in the green arc and the airspeed at 60 knots. As he was about to roll onto final, he heard the low rotor rpm horn and saw the rpm drop to 85 percent. As he lowered the collective, he noted he was still descending rapidly and he did not see the rpm increase substantially. He attempted a power recovery and the other pilot tried to help roll on the throttle and lower the collective. At 100 feet with full throttle and the collective lowered, the pilot recognized he would touch down and attempted to flare and lower the descent rate. The rpm remained below 80 percent and the airspeed slowed to 40 knots. He raised the collective to cushion the landing and touched down an estimated 200 feet from his intended landing spot. The helicopter landed hard and rolled over onto its right side.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R-22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 1999 | Robinson R-22-MARINER | West Boca Raton, Florida, United States | Volar Helicopters, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Azusa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Apr 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Fairbanks, Alaska, United States | Chena River Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 15 Apr 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Port Jefferson, New York, United States | Helicopter Flight Training Inc | No injuries | - |
| 15 Feb 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Seattle, Washington, United States | Classic Helicopter Corp. | Minor injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Hurricane, West Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 1999 | Luhnau BD-5B | Boulder City, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 6 May 1999 | Wsk Pzl Warzawa-Okecie PZL-104 WILGA 80 | Reno, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 1999 | Schempp-Hirth NIMBUS 4DM | Minden, Nevada, United States | William S. Ivans | Fatal | 2 |
| 17 Jan 1999 | Abraham J G Ii/Erickson K ONE DESIGN | No Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 1999 | Cessna 177 | Boulder City, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 13 Jun 1999 | Ab Sportine Aviacija GENESIS 2 | Minden, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |