Robinson R22 N442FA
24 November 2007 · Suffolk, Virginia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 24 November 2007 at about 18:40 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N442FA, operated by Aaron Jackson, was involved in an accident near Suffolk, Virginia, United States. One person was 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 18:40
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Suffolk, Virginia, United States
- Coordinates
- 36.8800, -76.2142
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22
- Registration
- N442FA
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Aaron Jackson
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Whaleyville → Suffolk
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC08LA043
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The V-drive belts' rolling off the sheaves for undetermined reasons, resulting in a loss of power to the rotor system, and the pilot's failure to maintain adequate rotor rpm during the autorotation, resulting in a hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot was circling the helicopter near friends, about 600 feet above the ground. After a few turns, as he was departing the area, the pilot noticed that the clutch light was illuminated. About 5 seconds later, he pulled the clutch circuit breaker. At the same time, the engine's rpm "sharply" increased and the main rotor rpm alarm sounded. The pilot immediately lowered the collective and "rolled on the throttle" in an attempt to increase rotor rpm. When that failed, the pilot performed an autorotation to the ground; however, during the descent, he was unable to bring the rotor rpm back into the "green" range. The helicopter landed hard, the skids spread, and a main rotor blade impacted the tail boom. Postaccident examination of the helicopter drive system revealed that the V-drive belts had rolled off the sheaves, but the reason they did so could not be determined.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Van Horn, Texas, United States | Silver State Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 26 Feb 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Melbourne, Florida, United States | Silver State Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 21 Apr 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Spanish Fork, Utah, United States | Utah Helicopter | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Rotorspins LLC | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2007 | Robinson R22 | Bend, Oregon, United States | Leading Edge Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 20 Nov 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Ramona, California, United States | Silver State Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Nov 2007 | Van's RV-7A | West Point, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Feb 2007 | Piper PA-28-140 | Saluda, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Apr 2007 | Piper PA-32-300 | Richmond, Virginia, United States | Jean McKeever | No injuries | - |
| 12 Jul 2007 | John D Williams XT-912 | Newport News, Virginia, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 15 Aug 2007 | Piper PA28-140 | Front Royal, Virginia, United States | James Allen Winget | No injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2007 | Sukhoi SU-31 | Markham, Virginia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |