# Accident 20050326034249A: Robsin R22BETA, Los Banos, CA, March 26, 2005

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 26, 2005, 08:30 local time
- Place: Los Banos, CA
- Airport: Los Banos Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Pwr On Vertical Ldng/Rtrcrft
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 37.0500° N, 120.8333° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.0500&lon=-120.8333&mi=10
- Aircraft: N820SH (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: ROBSIN R22BETA
- Reported engine: LYC O360*
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 2,050 total, 1,900 in this make and model, 300 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX05LA278](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA278) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050326034249A

## Narrative

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

(-23) AT APPROXIMATELY 0830 HOURS PST ON 3/26/2005, ROBINSON R-22 BETA HELICOPTER, N820SH, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN THE ENGINE FAILED DURING AN ATTEMPTED POWER RECOVERY FROM AN AUTOROTATION. THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR (PIC) AND CFI-APPLICANT (STUDENT) WERE ENROUTE FROM GUSTINE, CA (3O1) TO LAS BANOS, CA (LSN) ON A 14CFR91 INSTRUCTIONAL FLIGHT IN VMC CONDITIONS. APPROXIMATELY 5 NM NORTH OF LSN, THE PIC INITIATED A SIMULATED FORCED LANDING AT 900' AGL AND 80 KIAS BY REDUCING ENGINE POWER TO IDLE WITH THE THROTTLE. THE STUDENT ENTERED AUTOROTATION, APPLIED CARBURETOR HEAT, AND MANEUVERED TOWARD A SUITABLE FORCED LANDING SITE. DURING THE AUTOROTATIVE FLARE THE STUDENT INITIATED A POWER RECOVERY TO TERMINATE THE MANEUVER TO A HOVER. THE ENGINE RESPONDED INITIALLY TO THE DEMAND FOR POWER, THEN LOST POWER COMPLETELY. THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD AND BOUNCED ONCE IN A SKIDS LEVEL ATTITUDE WITH APPROXIMATELY 5 KNOTS FORWARD SPEED. THE LEFT SKID TOE CONTACTED A TUSSOCK CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO YAW LEFT 90 DEGREES. THE HELICOPTER BOUNCED A SECOND TIME AND CAME TO REST UPRIGHT ON ITS SKIDS. THE PIC AND STUDENT WERE NOT INJURED.

## 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 LAX05LA278](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX05LA278), Mar 26, 2005: Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta (N820SH), Los Banos, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: the instructor pilot's failure to apply carburetor heat during a simulated engine failure, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to carburetor icing.

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.
