- Date
- August 18, 2013, 14:30 local (19:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lee's Summit, MO
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N8316DRobinson Helicopter R22 Mariner
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 13, 2014
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Case key
- 88468
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 student pilot's improper flare while performing an autorotation and the flight instructor's delayed remedial action to correct the high sink rate, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
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 flight instructor was providing primary helicopter instruction to a fixed-wing pilot on how to conduct 180-degree autorotations. The instructor said the pilot entered the flare lower to the ground than usual and began to descend. By the time the instructor noticed the high descent rate, it was too late for him to recover and he was only able to apply full-up collective to cushion the impact. The helicopter landed hard spreading the skids. During the landing and the main rotor blades flexed downward and severed the tailboom.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor was providing primary helicopter instruction to a fixed-wing pilot on how to conduct 180-degree autorotations. The instructor said the pilot entered the flare lower to the ground than usual and began to descend. By the time the instructor noticed the high descent rate, it was too late for him to recover and he was only able to apply full-up collective to cushion the impact. The helicopter landed hard spreading the skids. During the landing and the main rotor blades flexed downward and severed the tailboom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8316D
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Mariner (MARINER)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2481M
- Built
- 1994
- Engine
- Lycoming 0-320 SERIES, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Marinephoto Helicopter LLC
- Registered owner
- Marinephoto Helicopter LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- LXT · Lee's Summit, MO
- Destination
- LXT · Lee's Summit, MO
- Airport
- LXT · Lee's Summit Municipal, runway 18, 4,016 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 15, 2013
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 351 total · 347 in this make and model
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- November 7, 2012
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 6,100 total · 21 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 31, 2014, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.5 MB in all.
Other investigations on N8316D · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.