# Accident 19990115000809A: Robsin R22BETA, Caldwell, NJ, January 15, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 15, 1999, 15:38 local time - Place: Caldwell, NJ - Airport: Essex County Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Sfl Autorotation - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 40.8752° N, 74.2814° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at ESSEX COUNTY (CDW), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.8752&lon=-74.2814&mi=10 - Aircraft: N8041J, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N8041J-2011-09-12) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA (registry code 7640110, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r22-beta) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: ROBSIN R22BETA - Reported engine: LYC O320B2C - People aboard: 2 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 595 total, 379 in this make and model, 107 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB IAD99LA028](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD99LA028) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990115000809A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. R-22 HELICOPTER LANDED HARD ON RWY 22 AND SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. (.19)ON JANUARY 15, 1999 AT 1538 EASTERN STANDARD TIME, A ROBINSON R-22B HELICOPTER, N8041J, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING A SIMULATED FORCED LANDING TO THE CALDWELL ESSEX COUNTY AIRPOT (CDW), FAIRFIELD, NEW JERSEY. THE CERTIFICATED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PILOT WERE NOT INJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDTIONS PREVAILED FOR THE LOCAL INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT THAT ORIGINATED AT CDW, APPROXIAMTELY 1420. NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER 14 CFR PART 91. IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT, THE CFI SAID: "HAVING ALREADY FLOWN 1.2 HOURS DUAL TRAINING, WE INITIATED A STRAIGHT-IN AUTOROTATION TO POWER RECOVERY ON RUNWAY 22. WE ENTERED AS USUAL AT 1200 FEET INDICATED, SPEED 65 KNOTS INDICATED, AND CARB HEAT APPLIED. ON THE WAY DOWN WE KEPT THE ENGINE RPM AROUND 80%, ROTOR RPM IN THE GREEN, AND SPEED BETWEEN 60 TO 70 KNOTS. AT THE END OF THE FLARE WE LEVELED THE SHIP OUT AT ABOUT 7 FEET AGL (ABOVE GROUND LEVEL) WITH ABOUT 20 KNOTS SPEED. "IN THE PROCESS OF ROLLING ON THE THROTTLE TO JOIN THE NEEDLES AND BRING BACK IN THE POWER FOR THE HOVER, I NOTICED NO ENGINE RESPONSE AND SAW BOTH RPM (ENGIN E AND ROTOR) DECAYING SIMULTANEOUSLY. I WAS NOT ABLE TO RECOVER ANY RPM, AND WE DID A HARD LANDING ON THE RUNWAY. I SUSPECT CARBURETOR ICING, WITH THE ENGINE DYING WHEN WE ROLLED THE THROTTLE ON TO BRING BACK THE POWER." IN A SEPARATE WRITTEN STATEMENT, THE CFI STATED: "...JUST BEFORE ENTERING AUTOROTATION I NOTICED A CARBURETOR TEMPERATURE OF 15." ACCORDING TO A RECORD OF TELEPHONE CONVERSATION FROM THE FAA INSPECTOR: "(THE CFI) STATED THAT DURING THE FLIGHT HE UTILIZED PARTIAL CARBURETOR HEAT TO MANTAIN THE CARBURETOR AIR TEMPERATURE (CAT) ABOVE THE YELLOW SEGMENT OF THE GAUGE. HE STATED THAT JUST PRIOR TO COMMENCING THE AUTOROTAION, HE APPLIED SLIGHT MORE CARBURETOR HEAT AND THEN OBSERVED THE CAT ABOVE THE YELLOW SEGMENT ON THE GAUGE, AT APPROXIMATELY 15 DEGREES. HE DOES NOT RECALL IF HE APPLIED FULL CARBURETOR HEAT PRIOR TO REDUCING POWER TO APPROXIAMTELY 80% AND COMMENCING THE AUTOROTATION..." ACCORDING TO THE NORMAL PROCEDURES SECTION OF THE ROBINSON R-22 PILOT OPERATING HANDBOOK, "USE OF CARBURETOR HEAT" WAS AS FOLLOWS: "DURING AUTOROTATION OR REDUCED POWER BELOW 18 INCHES MP (MANIFOLD PRESSURE) APPLY FULL CARB HEAT REGARDLESS OF CAT GAUGE TEMPERATURE...CAUTION: CAT GAUGE IS ONLY EFFECTIVE ABOVE 18 INCHES MP." ACCORDING TO THE ROBINSON R-22 FLIGHT TRAINING GUIDE, THE POWER RECOVERY PORTION OF THE AUTOROTATION IS PERFORMED AS FOLLOWS: "AT APPROXIMATELY 8 TO 10 FOOT SKID HEIGHT, BEGIN TO LEVEL THE HELICOPTER WITH FORWARD CYCLIC...AS THE RPM NEEDLES JOIN, IT MAY BE NECESSARY TO ADD THROTTLE TO ACHIEVE A HOVER." ACCORDING TO THE EMERGENCY PROCEDURES SECTION OF THE ROBINSON R-22 PILOT OPERATING HANDBOOK, THE RESPONSES TO "POWER FAILURE BELOW 8 FEET AGL" WERE AS FOLLOWS: 1. APPLY RIGHT PEDAL TO PREVENT YAWING. 2. ALLOW ROTORCRAFT TO SETTLE. 3. INCREASE COLLECTIVE JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN TO CUSHION THE LANDING. (.4) THE STUDENT PILOT WAS RECEIVING DUAL INSTRUCTION IN THE HELICOPTER IN ATMOSPHERIC CONDITIONS CONDUCIVE TO CARBURETOR ICING. A 'STRAIGHT-IN AUTOROTATION WITH POWER RECOVERY' WAS ENTERED WITH ONLY PARTIAL CARBURETOR HEAT APPLIED. WHEN THROTTLE WAS APPLIED FOR THE POWER RECOVERY, THE HELICOPTER EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR SAID THE ENGINE AND ROTOR RPM DECAYED SIMULTANEOUSLY AND THE HELICOPTER SUFFERED A HARD LANDING. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT OPERATING HANDBOOK, FULL CARBURETOR HEAT WA S TO BE APPLIED DURING AUTOROTATION. AFTER THE ACCIDENT, THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR REPORTED THERE WERE NO MECHANICAL DEFICIENCIES WITH THE HELICOPTER AND THE ENGINE STARTED AND RAN ON THE AIRFRAME. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB IAD99LA028](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD99LA028), Jan 15, 1999: Robinson R-22B (N8041J), Fairfield, NJ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The flight instructor's failure to maintain rotor rpm and his failure to complete the autorotational descent. A factor in the accident was the flight instructor's failure to fully deploy carburetor… ## Other reports on N8041J (2) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 20050722017939A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050722017939A), Jul 22, 2005: Robsin R22BETA (N8041J), Nashua, NH, Substantial damage. (-23) The pilot reported that while in a hover several feet above the ground, waiting for other aircraft to land, allowed a new student to operate the… - [Incident 20011208038919I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011208038919I), Dec 8, 2001: Robsin R22BETA (N8041J), NJ. (-23) Pilot took off from cdw airport, NJ, on the climb out towards the west, at about 2200', pilot experienced main rotor vibration. Upon reaching 2500' and… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.