- Date
- July 25, 1992, 14:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Sanford, ME
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N8557YRobinson R22A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920725027959A
- Case key
- 11833
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 pilot's selection of unsuitable terrain to execute a landing.
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
During an autorotation demonstration flight by the student, the helicopter touched down in a soft grassy area resulting in the skids digging into the ground. According to the pilot, he had completed 5 autorotations in another area in the center of the airport, when his instructor requested him to perform another autorotation closer to where he was located. The pilot stated that everything was normal until upon touchdown when the helicopter slid forward approximately 26 feet on the ground. During the slide the landing skid dug into the ground, causing the helicopter to nose over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8557Y
- Reported as
- Robinson R22A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0463
- Airframe hours
- 3,558
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Rotorcraft Inc
- Registered owner
- Ronald La Vallee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · June 23, 1992 · 65 hours before
- Airport
- SFM · Sanford Municipal
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
- 33
- Certificates
- Private, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 212 total · 152 in this make and model · 157 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SFM, 1 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 N8557Y · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.