- Date
- June 3, 2013, 18:20 local (23:20 UTC)
- Place
- Lansing, IL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N2318XRobinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 23, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA -- DuPage Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20130603009329A
- Case key
- 87080
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
Improper control inputs by the pilot-receiving-instruction and the inability of the flight instructor to correct the control inputs in sufficient time to avoid the hard landing.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot receiving instruction was demonstrating a 180-degree autorotation at the time of the accident and inadvertently overshot the intended ground target point. After rolling out of the turn, the pilot receiving instruction did not flare properly and, instead, increased collective until reaching the control stop resulting in a loss of main rotor speed. The flight instructor was unable to correct the pilot’s control inputs in time to prevent a hard landing. The landing skids collapsed, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom and fuselage. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures associated with the helicopter.
Factual narrative
The pilot-receiving-instruction was demonstrating a 180-degree autorotation at the time of the accident. He inadvertently overshot the intended ground target point. After rolling out of the turn, the pilot-receiving-instruction did not flare properly and, instead, increased collective until reaching the control stop resulting in a loss of main rotor speed. The flight instructor was unable to correct the pilot’s control inputs in time to prevent a hard landing. The landing skids collapsed, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom and fuselage. The flight instructor and pilot-receiving-instruction reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures associated with the helicopter.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2318X
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2029
- Airframe hours
- 4,302
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Lakeshore Helicopter LLC
- Registered owner
- Lakeshore Helicopter LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · January 28, 2013
- Departed
- IGQ · Lansing, IL
- Destination
- IGQ · Lansing, IL
- Airport
- IGQ · Lansing 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 13, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 900 total · 500 in this make and model · 850 as pilot in command · 60 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 27
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 8, 2012
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 163 total · 73 in this make and model · 98 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 60° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 63 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.05 inHg
- Observed at
- IGQ, 1 nm away
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 26, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.