What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On June 19, 2023, at approximately 1255 local, privacy data omitted, a Robinson Helicopter R-22 beta, departed lansing municipal airport (kigq) for the purpose of flight instruction. The certified flight instructor was current and qualified, possesses the appropriate sfar 73 endorsements to provide flight instruction in R-22 helicopters, and had previously logged 155 hours in make and model. The other pilot is a private pilot in airplane single engine land, had received awareness training in accordance with sfar 73, and logged 7.8 hours in make and model prior to this accident.
Shortly after their departure to east, privacy data omitted turned south/southeast and climbed to an altitude of 2,400 feet mean sea level (MSL). At 2,400 ft MSL, privacy data omittedperformed several practice maneuvers, specifically settling with power. ADS-B data indicates minimal altitude was lost during these maneuvers. At the completion of two practice maneuvers, privacy data omittedcontinued south at an altitude of 1,900 feet MSL descending to an altitude of 1,200 feet MSL prior to turning east at the south end of Cedar Lake.
privacy data omitted Crossed the western edge of the lake, heading east, at 1,000 feet MSL (300 ft AGL). The pilot at controls announced the helicopter “didn’t feel right.” the CFI stated the gauges looked normal, with manifold pressure (mp) approximately 24-24.5 inches mp, but the low rotor RPM horn turned on shortly after crossing the lake edge and there was an unusual squeal. The CFI initiated a change of controls, assumed the controls, and stated he was not able to maintain level flight, estimating his rate of descent to be 50-100 feet per minute. privacy data omitted Continued to descend from 1,000 feet MSL (300 ft AGL) to approximately 20-30 feet AGL, on a heading of approximately 100. Video evidence indicates privacy data omittedattempted to hover approximately 100 feet west of several docks before eventually making a left-hand turn to the north and settling into the water at approximately 1312 local. The tail rotor and aft skids impacted the water first, resulting in a loss of tail rotor drive and an aggressive spin to the right before privacy data omitted settled into the water and sank. The CFI shut down the aircraft. Both occupants egressed and swam to a dock.
privacy data omitted Was recovered several hours later, after being submerged in Cedar Lake, and was transported to the rental company’s hangar facility. FAA personnel conducted an inspection and found privacy data omitted was resting on its own landing gear, complete, with no pieces being maintained separate from the helicopter. There was no evidence of a post-crash fire. Upon inspection, both main rotor blades were found to have evidence of buckling at 89 to 90 inches from the individual rotor blade’s outer tip cover. Rotor blade s/n 2369 had evidence of additional buckling and warping. Around the base of the mast fairing was found buckling to the lower fairing mounting structure in addition to damage to the upper portion of the fairing. Roof window was found cracked with tape attached to the damaged portion, not related to accident. The tail cone, bay 4 area, had a dent on the upper r/h side just aft of the attaching rivet row. The tail rotor vertical stabilizer lower portion containing the tail strike hook was bent outward directly under the horizontal stabilizer starting just below the mounting bolts and stiffener triangle. A continuity check of the flight controls was performed and movement was noted from the cockpit cyclic, collective and tail rotor pedals to the flight control components. A continuity check of the rotor drive was performed and the tail rotor drive shaft was found to be sheared directly forward of the tail rotor gearbox input drive yoke coupling. T/r input coupling yoke with flex plate was found still attached with hardware in place. A continuity check was performed on engine controls to include
Will be amended when atqa software updated/corrected to allow full narrative. Please contact GL-03 for narrative.
As the FAA filed it
ON JUNE 19, 2023, AT APPROXIMATELY 1255 LOCAL, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, A ROBINSON HELICOPTER R-22 BETA, DEPARTED LANSING MUNICIPAL AIRPORT (KIGQ) FOR THE PURPOSE OF FLIGHT INSTRUCTION. THE CERTIFIED FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS CURRENT AND QUALIFIED, POSSESSES THE APPROPRIATE SFAR 73 ENDORSEMENTS TO PROVIDE FLIGHT INSTRUCTION IN R-22 HELICOPTERS, AND HAD PREVIOUSLY LOGGED 155 HOURS IN MAKE AND MODEL. THE OTHER PILOT IS A PRIVATE PILOT IN AIRPLANE SINGLE ENGINE LAND, HAD RECEIVED AWARENESS TRAINING IN ACCORDANCE WITH SFAR 73, AND LOGGED 7.8 HOURS IN MAKE AND MODEL PRIOR TO THIS ACCIDENT.
SHORTLY AFTER THEIR DEPARTURE TO EAST, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ TURNED SOUTH/SOUTHEAST AND CLIMBED TO AN ALTITUDE OF 2,400 FEET MEAN SEA LEVEL (MSL). AT 2,400 FT MSL, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^PERFORMED SEVERAL PRACTICE MANEUVERS, SPECIFICALLY SETTLING WITH POWER. ADS-B DATA INDICATES MINIMAL ALTITUDE WAS LOST DURING THESE MANEUVERS. AT THE COMPLETION OF TWO PRACTICE MANEUVERS, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^CONTINUED SOUTH AT AN ALTITUDE OF 1,900 FEET MSL DESCENDING TO AN ALTITUDE OF 1,200 FEET MSL PRIOR TO TURNING EAST AT THE SOUTH END OF CEDAR LAKE.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CROSSED THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE LAKE, HEADING EAST, AT 1,000 FEET MSL (300 FT AGL). THE PILOT AT CONTROLS ANNOUNCED THE HELICOPTER “DIDN’T FEEL RIGHT.” THE CFI STATED THE GAUGES LOOKED NORMAL, WITH MANIFOLD PRESSURE (MP) APPROXIMATELY 24-24.5 INCHES MP, BUT THE LOW ROTOR RPM HORN TURNED ON SHORTLY AFTER CROSSING THE LAKE EDGE AND THERE WAS AN UNUSUAL SQUEAL. THE CFI INITIATED A CHANGE OF CONTROLS, ASSUMED THE CONTROLS, AND STATED HE WAS NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN LEVEL FLIGHT, ESTIMATING HIS RATE OF DESCENT TO BE 50-100 FEET PER MINUTE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CONTINUED TO DESCEND FROM 1,000 FEET MSL (300 FT AGL) TO APPROXIMATELY 20-30 FEET AGL, ON A HEADING OF APPROXIMATELY 100. VIDEO EVIDENCE INDICATES ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ATTEMPTED TO HOVER APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET WEST OF SEVERAL DOCKS BEFORE EVENTUALLY MAKING A LEFT-HAND TURN TO THE NORTH AND SETTLING INTO THE WATER AT APPROXIMATELY 1312 LOCAL. THE TAIL ROTOR AND AFT SKIDS IMPACTED THE WATER FIRST, RESULTING IN A LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR DRIVE AND AN AGGRESSIVE SPIN TO THE RIGHT BEFORE ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SETTLED INTO THE WATER AND SANK. THE CFI SHUT DOWN THE AIRCRAFT. BOTH OCCUPANTS EGRESSED AND SWAM TO A DOCK.
^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS RECOVERED SEVERAL HOURS LATER, AFTER BEING SUBMERGED IN CEDAR LAKE, AND WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE RENTAL COMPANY’S HANGAR FACILITY. FAA PERSONNEL CONDUCTED AN INSPECTION AND FOUND ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS RESTING ON ITS OWN LANDING GEAR, COMPLETE, WITH NO PIECES BEING MAINTAINED SEPARATE FROM THE HELICOPTER. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF A POST-CRASH FIRE. UPON INSPECTION, BOTH MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE FOUND TO HAVE EVIDENCE OF BUCKLING AT 89 TO 90 INCHES FROM THE INDIVIDUAL ROTOR BLADE’S OUTER TIP COVER. ROTOR BLADE S/N 2369 HAD EVIDENCE OF ADDITIONAL BUCKLING AND WARPING. AROUND THE BASE OF THE MAST FAIRING WAS FOUND BUCKLING TO THE LOWER FAIRING MOUNTING STRUCTURE IN ADDITION TO DAMAGE TO THE UPPER PORTION OF THE FAIRING. ROOF WINDOW WAS FOUND CRACKED WITH TAPE ATTACHED TO THE DAMAGED PORTION, NOT RELATED TO ACCIDENT. THE TAIL CONE, BAY 4 AREA, HAD A DENT ON THE UPPER R/H SIDE JUST AFT OF THE ATTACHING RIVET ROW. THE TAIL ROTOR VERTICAL STABILIZER LOWER PORTION CONTAINING THE TAIL STRIKE HOOK WAS BENT OUTWARD DIRECTLY UNDER THE HORIZONTAL STABILIZER STARTING JUST BELOW THE MOUNTING BOLTS AND STIFFENER TRIANGLE. A CONTINUITY CHECK OF THE FLIGHT CONTROLS WAS PERFORMED AND MOVEMENT WAS NOTED FROM THE COCKPIT CYCLIC, COLLECTIVE AND TAIL ROTOR PEDALS TO THE FLIGHT CONTROL COMPONENTS. A CONTINUITY CHECK OF THE ROTOR DRIVE WAS PERFORMED AND THE TAIL ROTOR DRIVE SHAFT WAS FOUND TO BE SHEARED DIRECTLY FORWARD OF THE TAIL ROTOR GEARBOX INPUT DRIVE YOKE COUPLING. T/R INPUT COUPLING YOKE WITH FLEX PLATE WAS FOUND STILL ATTACHED WITH HARDWARE IN PLACE. A CONTINUITY CHECK WAS PERFORMED ON ENGINE CONTROLS TO INCLUDE
WILL BE AMENDED WHEN ATQA SOFTWARE UPDATED/CORRECTED TO ALLOW FULL NARRATIVE. PLEASE CONTACT GL-03 FOR NARRATIVE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.