Robinson R22 N622MP

Summary

On 11 April 2018 at about 00:10 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N622MP, operated by Capitol Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Franklin, 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

11 April 2018 at 00:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Franklin, California, United States

Nearest airport

Franklin Field (F72)

Coordinates

38.3086, -121.4283

Aircraft

Robinson R22

Registration

N622MP

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Capitol Helicopters

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Franklin → Franklin

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA18CA210

Nobody was injured.

The pilot receiving instruction’s abrupt cyclic control input during the touch-down autorotation.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor in the helicopter reported that, while demonstrating a touchdown autorotation to the pilot receiving instruction, the helicopter landed in a "normal run-on landing configuration." He added that the pilot receiving instruction applied aft cyclic about 15 ft into the forward ground run. The flight instructor moved the cyclic into the neutral position and lowered the collective as quickly as possible to slow the groundspeed. The helicopter "jumped" up and yawed to the left and spun about 150° before coming to rest. The flight instructor felt abnormal vibration in the cyclic and collective. He opened the door to inspect the helicopter and saw that the main rotor had struck the tailboom. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Federal Aviation Administration's Helicopter Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-21A, contains a section titled "Autorotation " which states: After the helicopter has come to a complete stop after touchdown, lower the collective pitch to the full-down position. Do not try to stop the forward ground run with aft cyclic, as the main rotor blades can strike the tail boom. Rather, by lowering the collective slightly during the ground run, more weight is placed on the undercarriage, slowing the helicopter.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.