Robinson R22 N7028U

Summary

On 5 June 2010 at about 17:40 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N7028U, operated by Universal Air Academy, was involved in an accident near La Verne, California, 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

5 June 2010 at 17:40

Classification

Accident

Location

La Verne, California, United States

Nearest airport

Brackett Field Airport (KPOC)

Coordinates

34.0917, -117.7819

Aircraft

Robinson R22

Registration

N7028U

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Universal Air Academy

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

La Verne → La Verne

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10CA278

Nobody was injured.

A loss of engine power due to the pilot's inadvertent movement of the mixture control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot stated that during approach he noticed the trim was still on. He reached down to turn it off by feel while he was visually focused outside the helicopter and concentrating on the approach. The pilot reported that the trim knob was stuck in the "up" position and he applied increasing pressure until it moved. He said that while focused on the approach, he "blindly checked the status of the trim knob," and that he "unintentionally and without explanation pulled the mixture control up." The pilot reported that the engine instantly turned off and the low rotor RPM system activated, followed by the pilot entering an autorotation. The engine stopped at a height of approximately 50 feet above ground level (agl) and that the helicopter touched down in the dirt and rolled onto the pilot's side. The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions prior to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.