Robinson R22 BETA N822U

Summary

On 24 October 2009 at about 20:00 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N822U, operated by V T Whitlock Inc, was involved in an accident near Scranton, South Carolina, 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.

Date

24 October 2009 at 20:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Scranton, South Carolina, United States

Nearest airport

Cockfield Aerodrome (SC60)

Coordinates

33.9039, -79.6839

Aircraft

Robinson R22 BETA

Registration

N822U

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

V T Whitlock Inc

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lake South → Scranton

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10CA039

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the helicopter.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot stated that he had just completed the first leg of a three-stop cross country flight. After landing, and hover-taxied toward the runway and performed a left pedal turn to observe the windsock. The pilot lost control of the helicopter, the tail rotor struck an embankment parallel to the runway, "which resulted in a 180-degree spin to the left and dynamic rollover." The helicopter came to rest on its left side, and incurred substantial damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and rotor blades. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter prior to the accident. He further stated that the accident could have been avoided by performance of the clearing turn farther from the embankment.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.