Robinson R22 N26498

Summary

On 18 January 2005 at about 18:20 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N26498 was involved in an accident near Gulf Port, Mississippi, 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

18 January 2005 at 18:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Gulf Port, Mississippi, United States

Nearest airport

Gulfport Biloxi International (KGPT)

Coordinates

30.4072, -89.0700

Aircraft

Robinson R22

Registration

N26498

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Long beach → Biloxi

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA05CA051

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's inadequate flare and his failure to maintain rotor rpm which resulted in a hard landing. Also causal was the instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.

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 well maintained 70-knot glide prior to performing the autorotation recovery. The student flared too high, 10 to 12 feet agl and kept the throttle closed, preventing the governor from restoring the rpm needed to recover from the maneuver. The lack of sufficient lift and low altitude did not allow him to slow the descent. The skids and the tailboom of the helicopter incurred substantial damage from the hard landing. The student pilot stated, everything at the time of the flare was normal; however, the instructor took control of the aircraft and felt him trying to roll the throttle on, but for some reason, the student was unable to release the throttle. The helicopter landed hard from about 5 to 6 feet above the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.