Robinson R22 N194HC

Summary

On 6 September 2020 at about 13:00 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N194HC was involved in an accident near Fort Myers, Florida, 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

6 September 2020 at 13:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Myers, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Page Field (FMY)

Coordinates

26.5867, -81.8633

Aircraft

Robinson R22

Registration

N194HC

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1991

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fort Myers → Fort Myers

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20LA310

Nobody was injured.

Foreign object damage of the turning tailrotor by a soft-bodied object, which resulted in the sudden stoppage of the tailrotor and the catastrophic failure of the tailrotor assembly and its mount structure.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction had just started the helicopter when, as the engine accelerated to near its operating rpm, both pilots heard a loud “bang.” The pilot receiving instruction leaned out his door and announced that “the tail was hanging off the back of the aircraft.” The pilots shut down the helicopter and reported the event to the helicopter’s owner and his mechanic. Examination of the tailrotor driveshaft, tailrotor gearbox, tailrotor blades, and the tailcone section forward of the tailrotor gearbox all revealed signatures consistent with overstress fracture on the fracture surfaces. There was no evidence of fatigue or foreign object damage (FOD). The fractures and impact signatures were consistent with the fracture of the tailrotor gearbox mount structure (bulkhead) of the tailcone, followed by impact signatures of the rotating tailrotor assembly against the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. The impact signatures were consistent with a soft-bodied object (such as a plastic shopping bag or Mylar balloon) striking the turning tailrotor, which resulted in sudden-stoppage and overstress fractures of the tailrotor gearbox mount and the associated parts of the tailrotor assembly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.