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20121101024929A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Robinson Helicopter R22 · Alexander City, AL · November 1, 2012

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
November 1, 2012 · 15:45 local
Place
Alexander City, AL
Airport
Thomas Russell Field
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N231TM
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA13LA045
Reported as
Robinson Helicopter R22
Reported engine
Lycoming O-320-B2C
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
2
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,165 total1,165 in this make and model553 in the last 90 days
N231TMRegistered now · Robinson Helicopter R22S/N 2317M · Built 1993Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R22Engine modelLycoming O-320-B2CReciprocating

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 November 1, 2012, at 1645, central daylight time a Robinson helicopter, R22, registered to casablanca helicopter, LLC., departed alx on runway 36 heading for 16J, and crashed on the airport property. The commercial-rated pilot and copilot received minor injuries, and the helicopter incurred substantial damage. The pilot stated that the co-pilot was at the flight controls during the departure, and as soon as the helicopter started its climb and left turn on a heading west of the airport, crosswind, suddenly, something went wrong with the helicopter and it started to shake. "I took the flight controls trying to figure out what was happening, and what was causing the helicopter to shake. After several minutes of manuevering the helicopter during the descent from 300 feet AGL to about 100 feet above the ground, I established a hover and immediately initiated an autorotation to the ground. I did not feel the helicopter flared at all". It impacted the ground with the nose down, rolled and came to rest on its left side. Examination of the wreckage revealed that the floats strap (4 places) was attached and the floats were inflated. The left landing gear strut was broken from impact damage. One of the counterweights near the swashplate was broken off from impact damage. The main rotor blades displayed delamination and impact damage. The engine cooling fan rotated without obstruction, the condition of v-belts and the alternator belt showed signature marks from rotation with the engine power on after the crash. The engine valves operated normally; the driveshaft, sprag clutch, and upper actuator bearing rotated normally. Tail boom and tail rotor received substantial impact damage. The main rotor blades and mast assembly sustained substantial impact damage, main rotor pitch link bearing had excessive play - the .30 to .40 of bearing play caused a high frequency vibration in the rotor system. The transmission mount and engine mounts sustained minor impact damage.

As the FAA filed it

ON NOVEMBER 1, 2012, AT 1645, CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME A ROBINSON HELICOPTER, R22, REGISTERED TO CASABLANCA HELICOPTER, LLC., DEPARTED ALX ON RUNWAY 36 HEADING FOR 16J, AND CRASHED ON THE AIRPORT PROPERTY. THE COMMERCIAL-RATED PILOT AND COPILOT RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES, AND THE HELICOPTER INCURRED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE CO-PILOT WAS AT THE FLIGHT CONTROLS DURING THE DEPARTURE, AND AS SOON AS THE HELICOPTER STARTED ITS CLIMB AND LEFT TURN ON A HEADING WEST OF THE AIRPORT, CROSSWIND, SUDDENLY, SOMETHING WENT WRONG WITH THE HELICOPTER AND IT STARTED TO SHAKE. "I TOOK THE FLIGHT CONTROLS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING, AND WHAT WAS CAUSING THE HELICOPTER TO SHAKE. AFTER SEVERAL MINUTES OF MANUEVERING THE HELICOPTER DURING THE DESCENT FROM 300 FEET AGL TO ABOUT 100 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, I ESTABLISHED A HOVER AND IMMEDIATELY INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION TO THE GROUND. I DID NOT FEEL THE HELICOPTER FLARED AT ALL". IT IMPACTED THE GROUND WITH THE NOSE DOWN, ROLLED AND CAME TO REST ON ITS LEFT SIDE.EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT THE FLOATS STRAP (4 PLACES) WAS ATTACHED AND THE FLOATS WERE INFLATED. THE LEFT LANDING GEAR STRUT WAS BROKEN FROM IMPACT DAMAGE. ONE OF THE COUNTERWEIGHTS NEAR THE SWASHPLATE WAS BROKEN OFF FROM IMPACT DAMAGE. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES DISPLAYED DELAMINATION AND IMPACT DAMAGE. THE ENGINE COOLING FAN ROTATED WITHOUT OBSTRUCTION, THE CONDITION OF V-BELTS AND THE ALTERNATOR BELT SHOWED SIGNATURE MARKS FROM ROTATION WITH THE ENGINE POWER ON AFTER THE CRASH. THE ENGINE VALVES OPERATED NORMALLY; THE DRIVESHAFT, SPRAG CLUTCH, AND UPPER ACTUATOR BEARING ROTATED NORMALLY. TAIL BOOM AND TAIL ROTOR RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT DAMAGE. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES AND MAST ASSEMBLY SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT DAMAGE, MAIN ROTOR PITCH LINK BEARING HAD EXCESSIVE PLAY - THE .30 TO .40 OF BEARING PLAY CAUSED A HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATION IN THE ROTOR SYSTEM. THE TRANSMISSION MOUNT AND ENGINE MOUNTS SUSTAINED MINOR IMPACT DAMAGE.

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 ERA13LA045Accident · Serious injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportAlexander City, ALThe pilot’s delayed decision to initiate an autorotation and her subsequent improper conduct of the autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing, after the helicopter started vibrating for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident…Nov 1, 2012 · Substantial damage