20080918849129I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Robsin R44 · Bedford, MA · September 18, 2008

Date
September 18, 2008 · 12:45 local
Place
Bedford, MA
Airport
Laurence G Hanscom Fld
Phase of flight
Slope Landing
Operating rules
Pilot school (Part 141)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N202WT
Reported as
Robsin R44
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
750 total65 in this make and model50 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On the date of September 18th, 2008 approximately 12:45 p.m. after conducting a cross country training flight from kbed to 2B2 my student privacy data omitted and I returned to kbed and decided to perform slope operations training in the grass area west of runway 5/23 and east of taxiway mike. Weather conditions were sunny and dry with wind approximately 10-12 knots from the north which created a right quartering headwind situations for our purposes. My student performed two normal landings and takeoffs with the left skid upslope and the right skid downslope. Unfortunately after the two successful effort I was perhaps a bit complacent and overconfident in my student and on an unsuccessful 3rd attempt to land control of the aircraft was not maintained. The subsequent event transpired very quickly but initiated with a left yaw into the slope. The student responded nervously with the cyclic. Fearing the potential of dynamic rollover I instinctively began to lower the collective. The combination of cyclic and collective inputs resulted in a firm touchdown with aft and possibly some lateral movement. Although the ground contact was firm and uncomfortable at the time neither privacy data omitted nor I was aware of the ship having sustained any damage. Given the circumstances and the fact the it was the end of the lesson we decided to call it a day. We picked up to a hover and hovered the ship to the parking area back on the west ramp.

As the FAA filed it

ON THE DATE OF SEPTEMBER 18TH, 2008 APPROXIMATELY 12:45 P.M. AFTER CONDUCTING A CROSS COUNTRY TRAINING FLIGHT FROM KBED TO 2B2 MY STUDENT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AND I RETURNED TO KBED AND DECIDED TO PERFORM SLOPE OPERATIONS TRAINING IN THE GRASS AREA WEST OF RUNWAY 5/23 AND EAST OF TAXIWAY MIKE. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE SUNNY AND DRY WITH WIND APPROXIMATELY 10-12 KNOTS FROM THE NORTH WHICH CREATED A RIGHT QUARTERING HEADWIND SITUATIONS FOR OUR PURPOSES. MY STUDENT PERFORMED TWO NORMAL LANDINGS AND TAKEOFFS WITH THE LEFT SKID UPSLOPE AND THE RIGHT SKID DOWNSLOPE. UNFORTUNATELY AFTER THE TWO SUCCESSFUL EFFORT I WAS PERHAPS A BIT COMPLACENT AND OVERCONFIDENT IN MY STUDENT AND ON AN UNSUCCESSFUL 3RD ATTEMPT TO LAND CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS NOT MAINTAINED. THE SUBSEQUENT EVENT TRANSPIRED VERY QUICKLY BUT INITIATED WITH A LEFT YAW INTO THE SLOPE. THE STUDENT RESPONDED NERVOUSLY WITH THE CYCLIC. FEARING THE POTENTIAL OF DYNAMIC ROLLOVER I INSTINCTIVELY BEGAN TO LOWER THE COLLECTIVE. THE COMBINATION OF CYCLIC AND COLLECTIVE INPUTS RESULTED IN A FIRM TOUCHDOWN WITH AFT AND POSSIBLY SOME LATERAL MOVEMENT. ALTHOUGH THE GROUND CONTACT WAS FIRM AND UNCOMFORTABLE AT THE TIME NEITHER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ NOR I WAS AWARE OF THE SHIP HAVING SUSTAINED ANY DAMAGE. GIVEN THE CIRCUMSTANCES AND THE FACT THE IT WAS THE END OF THE LESSON WE DECIDED TO CALL IT A DAY. WE PICKED UP TO A HOVER AND HOVERED THE SHIP TO THE PARKING AREA BACK ON THE WEST RAMP.