- Date
- October 25, 1999, 17:20 local (21:20 UTC)
- Place
- West Boca Raton, FL
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Uncontrolled descent
- Aircraft
- N2285ZRobinson R-22-MARINER
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 4, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19991025033699A
- Case key
- 47641
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The flight instructor's delayed response in taking remedial action during a practice autorotation. Factors were his inadequate planned approach and his improper use of powerplant controls.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flight instructor and his student were practicing 180-degree autorotation landings. Prior to initiating their last autorotation to the left, they climbed to 500 ft. agl. The student was at the controls and began a steeper turn in an attempt to reach the aiming spot, and the helicopter entered a slight dive. As the student rolled out to begin the flare, the helicopter was below 100 ft. agl. The instructor then took control of the helicopter. He pushed forward to level the helicopter, then rolled the throttle and tried to pull up on the collective. The helicopter hit the ground in a level attitude, then became airborne again. During the impact sequence, the tail boom was severed. The helicopter then spun three or four times and landed on its left side. According to the instructor, there was no mechanical malfunction with the helicopter.
Factual narrative
On October 25, 1999, at 1720 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R-22-Mariner, N2285Z, landed hard during a practice autorotation landing in West Boca Raton, Florida. The helicopter was operated by the certified flight instructor under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight. The instructor received minor injuries, the private pilot rated student was not injured, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The flight originated from the Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, at 1600.
According to the instructor, he and his student were practicing 180-degree autorotation landings with power recovery. They began practicing autoroations to the right, then switched to the left. Prior to initiating their last autorotation to the left, they climbed to 500 feet above ground level (agl). The student was at the controls and began a steeper turn in an attempt to reach the aiming spot. The helicopter then entered a "slight dive." As the student rolled out to begin the flare, the helicopter was below 100 feet agl.
According to the instructor, he took the controls and pushed forward to level the helicopter. He rolled the throttle and tried to pull up on the collective. The helicopter hit the ground in a level attitude, then became airborne again. During the impact sequence, the tail boom was severed by the main rotor system, and the helicopter became uncontrollable. The helicopter then spun three or four times and landed on its left side. The instructor stated on his accident report that there was no mechanical malfunction with the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2285Z
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22-MARINER (R-22-MARIN)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0511M
- Airframe hours
- 4,400
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Volar Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Valley Aviation, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 11, 1999 · 40 hours before
- Departed
- FXE · Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 28
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 844 total · 841 in this make and model · 809 as pilot in command · 228 in the last 90 days · 69 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FXE, 9 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N2285Z · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.