Robinson R22 N7532R

Summary

On 2 May 2019 at about 19:38 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N7532R, operated by Garden State Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Lincoln Park, New Jersey, 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

2 May 2019 at 19:38

Classification

Accident

Location

Lincoln Park, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Lincoln Park (N07)

Coordinates

40.9475, -74.3144

Aircraft

Robinson R22

Registration

N7532R

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Garden State Helicopters

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Lincoln Park → Lincoln Park

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR19TA131

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor's failure to maintain control of the helicopter while transitioning from a hover to forward flight, which resulted in a loss of control.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor was conducting an introductory flight with the student pilot. After an approximate 40-minute flight, with the helicopter in a stable hover about 5 to 10 ft above ground level, the instructor initiated a hover taxi to the parking area. The instructor recalled that he heard the low rotor rpm warning horn sound, and the helicopter simultaneously began a violent yaw to the right while the nose pitched up. The instructor further stated that he immediately attempted to regain control by rolling the throttle to idle to arrest the yaw. Despite his efforts, the tail rotor impacted the ground, and the helicopter began to spin more rapidly, completing numerous 360° rotations. The helicopter came to rest on its right side. Examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunction or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the instructor’s failure to maintain yaw control while transitioning to forward flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.