Robinson R22A N8558N
19 May 1999 · San Luis Obispo, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 19 May 1999 at about 00:30 local time, a Robinson R22A registered N8558N was involved in an accident near San Luis Obispo, 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 00:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- San Luis Obispo, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 35.2504, -120.6192
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22A
- Registration
- N8558N
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX99LA186
People
2 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
Probable cause
The student's inadvertent and uncoordinated application of forward cyclic during an autorotation flare, which resulted in a loss of main rotor rpm; and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The instructor stated the student entered a practice autorotation at 1,400 feet (600 feet agl) to a landing site on top of a hill about 800 feet high. As the flare was initiated at 40 to 50 feet, the instructor mentioned to the student that the cyclic trim was engaged. When the student unexpectedly reached forward and tried to push the trim control knob in, he inadvertently pushed forward on the cyclic control. The instructor said this pitched the nose of the helicopter down and resulted in a bleed off of main rotor rpm. When the low rotor horn and warning light came on the instructor took control of the helicopter and rolled in throttle. The lowest rpm he recalls seeing was slightly above 90 percent. He made a left turn to avoid hitting the hill and encountered a strong downdraft due to the gusty winds. The helicopter touched down on the left skid during the turn and rolled over twice.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R22A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Sep 1999 | Robinson R22A | Tucumcari, New Mexico, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 May 1994 | Robinson R22A | North Bergen, New Jersey, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 24 Apr 2005 | Robinson R22A | Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Oct 1993 | Robinson R22A | Santa Rosa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 1992 | Robinson R22A | Sanford, Maine, United States | Rotorcraft Inc | No injuries | - |
| 10 Feb 1991 | Robinson R22A | Piru, California, United States | Watson Helicopters Inc. | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Dec 1999 | Rhea KR-2 | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Cessna 172A | Shoshone, California, United States | Charles R. Christman | No injuries | - |
| 9 Sep 1999 | Piper PA-22-150 | Strathmore, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Sep 1999 | Cessna 172N | San Jose, California, United States | Concord Flight Intl, Inc | No injuries | - |
| 30 Apr 1999 | Schweizer 269C-1 | Concord, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Sep 1999 | Robinson R-22 | Azusa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |