Robinson R22 BETA N332MD

Summary

On 28 June 2003 at about 22:50 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N332MD was involved in an accident near Prescott, Arizona, 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.

Date

28 June 2003 at 22:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Prescott, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

34.5833, -112.3000

Aircraft

Robinson R22 BETA

Registration

N332MD

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Prescott → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX03CA215

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate main rotor rpm, and, his improper use of the collective, throttle, and anti-torque controls during the attempted recovery. Factors in the accident were the pilot's failure to completely relinquish the controls, and the high density altitude environmental condition.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter impacted the ground and rolled over during a practice autorotation. The purpose of the flight was a check ride with a designated pilot examiner (DPE) for the pilot's private helicopter rating. After completing a series of maneuvers, an autorotation was initiated. According to the DPE, the entry and flare were uneventful, and the pilot applied power to recover; the engine rpm and rotor rpm needles were "in the green." The pilot then began to cushion the descent with collective. During this cushion, the low rotor rpm horn activated. The check pilot expected the pilot to lower the collective slightly and roll on additional throttle; instead, the pilot lowered the collective "almost all the way down" and rolled some throttle off. At this point the helicopter was very close to the ground. The check pilot told the pilot "I have the controls." The helicopter entered a right turn and the check pilot intended to "let the aircraft continue into a slow right turn and milk whatever power we had to fly out of it." At this time, the check pilot felt the right pedal move against his foot, and the helicopter settled to the ground at an angle. After bouncing once, it touched down on the left skid, and rolled over. After the accident, the check pilot asked the pilot if he had been rolling the throttle off as he was pulling the collective up during the cushion portion of the autorotation. The pilot reported in the past, he had been over speeding the engine so he would slightly reduce the throttle to compensate. The pilot applied left pedal when he was attempting to align the helicopter with a track. No mechanical discrepancies were noted with the helicopter prior to the accident. The density altitude was 8,393 feet mean sea level (msl).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.