Robinson R22 N1777V

Summary

On 5 February 2016 at about 14:00 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N1777V was involved in an accident near Taylor, Texas, 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 February 2016 at 14:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Taylor, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Taylor Muni (T74)

Coordinates

30.5728, -97.4431

Aircraft

Robinson R22

Registration

N1777V

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1987

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Austin → Taylor

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA530

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's improper collective input during a simulated engine failure autorotation with a power recovery, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing and the main rotor blade striking the tailboom.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that he and the student pilot were both on the controls. When the helicopter was about 10 ft above ground level (agl), the instructor initiated a simulated engine failure autorotation with a power recovery. As they rolled the engine throttle up to recover, the alternator light illuminated, and the engine lost all power. When the helicopter was about 2 ft agl, the instructor raised full collective and leveled the helicopter, and the low rotor rpm light and horn activated. The student stated that the engine might have had a low-idle setting and that, during the accident flight, he applied full carburetor heat. The helicopter landed hard, bounced, and settled back onto the runway, and the main rotor blade struck the tailboom. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The instructor reported that, during a postaccident engine test-run, the engine started and ran without any issues. A Federal Aviation Administration inspector reported that, due to the accident occurring more than 3 years before it was reported by an anonymous person, he was not able to determine the reason for the loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.