# Accident 20021004028429A: Robsin R22BETA, Louisburg, NC, October 4, 2002

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: October 4, 2002, 11:30 local time
- Place: Louisburg, NC
- Airport: Franklin County
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.0278° N, 78.3306° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.0278&lon=-78.3306&mi=10
- Aircraft: N222MQ (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: ROBSIN R22BETA
- Fatal injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL03LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL03LA001) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20021004028429A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) RATED STUDENT PILOT WAS ON SECOND SOLO FLIGHT IN R-22 HELICOPTER. HE WAS WORKING TOWARD A HELICOPTER RATING. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PICK AIRCRAFT UP TO HOVER, HE ALLOWED AIRCRAFT TO SLIDE LEFT. AIRCRAFT WAS IN FIELD AND LEFT SKID CONTACTED LARGE CLUMP OF GRASS. AIRCRAFT ENTERED DYNAMIC ROLLOVER CONDITIONS AND ROLLED ONTO LEFT SIDE. AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED. PILOT SUFFERED MINOR INJURY. (.19) ON OCTOBER 4, 2002, ABOUT 1130 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A ROBINSON R-22, N222MQ, REGISTERED TO M. SPITZER HELICOPTER LEASING, OPERATED BY CORPORATE AVIATION INC., AS A 14 CFR PART 91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT, ROLLED OVER ON ITS RIGHT SIDE WHILE TAKING OFF TO A HOVER. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT REPORTED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT WAS ORIGINATING FROM FRANKLIN COUNTY AIRPORT, LOUISBURG, NORTH CAROLINA, AT 1130. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS ON HIS SECOND SUPERVISED SOLO FLIGHT AND WAS TAKING OFF FROM THE SOD AREA LOCATED ADJACENT TO RUNWAY 22. AS HE APPLIED COLLECTIVE PITCH THE FRONT SKIDS OF THE HELICOPTER CAME OFF THE GR                                                OUND AND THE REAR SKIDS REMAINED ON THE GROUND. HE CONTINUED TO INCREASE COLLECTIVE PITCH; THE HELICOPTER BECAME AIRBORNE, YAWED TO THE LEFT AND STARTED DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT. THE RIGHT SKID COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AND THE HELICOPTER BOUNCED BACK INTO THE AIR. WHEN THE RIGHT SKID COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND AGAIN, THE HELICOPTER ROLLED OVER ON ITS RIGHT SIDE. EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER REVEALED THE CABIN BUBBLE WAS BROKEN, BOTH MAIN ROTOR BLADES SUSTAINED DAMAGE, AND THE AIRFRAME ON THE RIGHT SIDE SUSTAINED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT REPORTED NO MECHANICAL PROBLEMS WITH THE HELICOPTER.

## 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 ATL03LA001](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL03LA001), Oct 4, 2002: Robinson R-22 (N222MQ), Louisburg, NC, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's improper use of flight controls (collective and cyclic) during an attempted takeoff to a hover, that resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain, and dynamic rollover.

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.

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