OpenAirDocs.org

20111105024719A

Accident · Substantial damage
Open the Markdown

FAA accident report · Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA · West Palm Beach, FL · November 5, 2011

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
November 5, 2011 · 16:22 local
Place
West Palm Beach, FL
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
OH0S
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N413RM
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA12LA063
Reported as
Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta
Reported engine
Lycoming 0-320 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
67 total25 in this make and model4 in the last 90 days
N413RMRegistration cancelled Oct 6, 2017 · Robinson Helicopter R22 BETAS/N 1412Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R22 BETAEngine modelLycoming 0-320 seriesReciprocating

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.

Pilot states that on 11/05/2011, N413RM was doing aerial photography near the West Palm Beach shipyards. The aircraft was at approximately 700' and desending down to 500'+, setting up for the second approach to the yacht club. The pilot reports that he was on the downwind leg when he experienced a slight loss of power. The airspeed bled off and was at approximately 60KTS. He says at that moment he thought of performing an auto rotation with a loss of power. Oil pressure was low but in the normal range. He lowered the nose to gain some airspeed and turned the aircraft into the wind (n.NE.) Just then he got an aural low RPM warning horn. He looked for a clear area to land. As he got closer to the ground, he noticed some power lines and no clear area to land. He picked a spot and proceeded to that spot. He saw more power lines coming towards the aircraft. He did a manuver to raise the nose when he struck the power line with the main rotor mast. He continued and struck the top of a Palm tree and hit the corner of a house roof (2nd story). Just then the aircraft started to roll back and they fell off of the roof, tail first and struck the 1st floor varanda roof with the LH skid. The rotor blade struck another tree as the aircraft continued to fall to the street. The aircraft struck a car (parked in front of the house) with the main rotor blade and finally came to rest RH side down on the sidewalk between the house and the car, resting on the main rotor head boom. The pilot asked his passenger if she was ok. She replied yes. They released their belts and got out of the aircraft. Once out of the aircraft, they assessed their injuries and the damages to the aircraft. They report that emergency rescue was there quickly and sprayed foam on the aircraft. The aircraft received substantial damage. The tail boom was intact with one tail rotor blade bent. Both main rotor blades where totally destroyed. The cockpit plexy glass was broken but the cabin was in tact. No one on the ground or in the house was injured. The pilot and passenger received minor injuries and were transported to the local hospital for a precautionary examination. The aircraft was transported to north county airport (F45). Aircraft belongs to oceans helicopter inc. switches were found as follows:governor - off/upcarb heat - on/pulledfull auto rotation on collective - up/power offfull rich mix - infull rt trim - on

As the FAA filed it

PILOT STATES THAT ON 11/05/2011, N413RM WAS DOING AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY NEAR THE WEST PALM BEACH SHIPYARDS. THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 700' AND DESENDING DOWN TO 500'+, SETTING UP FOR THE SECOND APPROACH TO THE YACHT CLUB. THE PILOT REPORTS THAT HE WAS ON THE DOWNWIND LEG WHEN HE EXPERIENCED A SLIGHT LOSS OF POWER. THE AIRSPEED BLED OFF AND WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 60KTS. HE SAYS AT THAT MOMENT HE THOUGHT OF PERFORMING AN AUTO ROTATION WITH A LOSS OF POWER. OIL PRESSURE WAS LOW BUT IN THE NORMAL RANGE. HE LOWERED THE NOSE TO GAIN SOME AIRSPEED AND TURNED THE AIRCRAFT INTO THE WIND (N.NE.) JUST THEN HE GOT AN AURAL LOW RPM WARNING HORN. HE LOOKED FOR A CLEAR AREA TO LAND. AS HE GOT CLOSER TO THE GROUND, HE NOTICED SOME POWER LINES AND NO CLEAR AREA TO LAND. HE PICKED A SPOT AND PROCEEDED TO THAT SPOT. HE SAW MORE POWER LINES COMING TOWARDS THE AIRCRAFT. HE DID A MANUVER TO RAISE THE NOSE WHEN HE STRUCK THE POWER LINE WITH THE MAIN ROTOR MAST. HE CONTINUED AND STRUCK THE TOP OF A PALM TREE AND HIT THE CORNER OF A HOUSE ROOF (2ND STORY). JUST THEN THE AIRCRAFT STARTED TO ROLL BACK AND THEY FELL OFF OF THE ROOF, TAIL FIRST AND STRUCK THE 1ST FLOOR VARANDA ROOF WITH THE LH SKID. THE ROTOR BLADE STRUCK ANOTHER TREE AS THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO FALL TO THE STREET. THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A CAR (PARKED IN FRONT OF THE HOUSE) WITH THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE AND FINALLY CAME TO REST RH SIDE DOWN ON THE SIDEWALK BETWEEN THE HOUSE AND THE CAR, RESTING ON THE MAIN ROTOR HEAD BOOM. THE PILOT ASKED HIS PASSENGER IF SHE WAS OK. SHE REPLIED YES. THEY RELEASED THEIR BELTS AND GOT OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT. ONCE OUT OF THE AIRCRAFT, THEY ASSESSED THEIR INJURIES AND THE DAMAGES TO THE AIRCRAFT. THEY REPORT THAT EMERGENCY RESCUE WAS THERE QUICKLY AND SPRAYED FOAM ON THE AIRCRAFT.THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE TAIL BOOM WAS INTACT WITH ONE TAIL ROTOR BLADE BENT. BOTH MAIN ROTOR BLADES WHERE TOTALLY DESTROYED. THE COCKPIT PLEXY GLASS WAS BROKEN BUT THE CABIN WAS IN TACT. NO ONE ON THE GROUND OR IN THE HOUSE WAS INJURED. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES AND WERE TRANSPORTED TO THE LOCAL HOSPITAL FOR A PRECAUTIONARY EXAMINATION. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRANSPORTED TO NORTH COUNTY AIRPORT (F45). AIRCRAFT BELONGS TO OCEANS HELICOPTER INC. SWITCHES WERE FOUND AS FOLLOWS:GOVERNOR - OFF/UPCARB HEAT - ON/PULLEDFULL AUTO ROTATION ON COLLECTIVE - UP/POWER OFFFULL RICH MIX - INFULL RT TRIM - ON

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA12LA063Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportWest Palm Beach, FLThe pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during a low-altitude turn into gusty tailwind conditions, which resulted in a loss of translational lift and settling with power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of total flight experience.Nov 5, 2011 · Substantial damage