Robinson R22 BETA II N331MD
2 May 2008 · Prescott, Arizona, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 2 May 2008 at about 01:30 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA II registered N331MD was involved in an accident near Prescott, Arizona, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one 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 01:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Prescott, Arizona, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.8333, -112.5833
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA II
- Registration
- N331MD
- 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
- LAX08CA126
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The instructor's inadequate supervision and delayed remedial action that resulted in ground contact and a rollover.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
This was the certificated flight instructor's (CFI) first instructional flight with this new primary student. They did a preflight inspection of the helicopter together, and departed for the practice area. Once the student had a general understanding of the controls, they did an approach to a point on the ground that terminated in a hover. The CFI was letting the student manipulate the controls more and more during the hover. The CFI positioned the helicopter for a slight right quartering headwind to compensate for translating tendencies. During hover, the helicopter exhibited a pendulum oscillation that is common for new students learning to hover. During one of the right lateral oscillations, the helicopter unexpectedly lost altitude. The right skid contacted the ground, and the helicopter rolled onto its right side. Within seconds, it caught on fire. Both pilots exited immediately. The CFI stated that the airplane and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Mar 2008 | Robinson R22 BETA | Horseshoe Bay, Texas, United States | Kent Leighton | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 2008 | Robinson R22 | Rosharon, Texas, United States | William T. Skinner | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jan 2008 | Robinson R22 BETA | North Palm Bch, Florida, United States | Silver State Helicopters LLC | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Mar 2008 | Robinson R22 BETA | Las Vegas, New Mexico, United States | Premier Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 10 May 2008 | Robinson R22 MARINE | Austin, Texas, United States | Boat Pix | No injuries | - |
| 16 Oct 2008 | Robinson R22 | Dryden, New York, United States | Earl Lee Small | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 May 2008 | Cessna 152 | Glendale, Arizona, United States | Air Safety Flight Academy | No injuries | - |
| 17 Aug 2008 | Aeros VENTURE | Maricopa, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Mar 2008 | Beechcraft C23 | Marble Canyon, Arizona, United States | Russell L. Gardner | No injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 2008 | Piper PA-28-181 | Phoenix, Arizona, United States | Pan AM International Flight Academy | No injuries | - |
| 18 Mar 2008 | Cessna 150L | Mesa, Arizona, United States | Arizona Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Oct 2008 | Bell 47J-2A | Florence, Arizona, United States | Loflite LLC | No injuries | - |