# NTSB DFW05CA070: Robinson R22, N322DA, Owasso, OK, February 16, 2005 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: February 16, 2005, 10:15 local (16:15 UTC) - Place: Owasso, OK - Coordinates: 36.266666, -95.783332 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2667&lon=-95.7833&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 2 minor - Status: Completed, report April 28, 2005 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 61020 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DFW05CA070 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/61020/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW05CA070 ## Probable cause The flight instructor's failure to verify that the student had the flight controls and his delayed remedial action. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Loss of control - in flight, hover - aircraft control - not verified, pilot in command(cfi) (cause) - remedial action - delayed, pilot in command(cfi) (cause) - In flight collision with terrain/water, hover - terrain condition - grass ## Analysis The 1,114-hour flight instructor stated that after completing a practice maneuver, the helicopter was hovering into the wind at a skid height of approximately 5 feet. The flight instructor and the commercial pilot receiving helicopter flight instruction agreed to terminate the training flight and return to a nearby hangar. At this point, the instructor "released his hold on the cyclic control to the student who apparently had not maintained complete control of the cyclic." The pilot stated " the result was that the helicopter pitched down in a nose down attitude." He "attempted to regain control by pulling back on the cyclic and increasing collective pitch, but these actions were all too late, and the front left skid dug into the grass runway, and the helicopter rolled over on its left side." ## Factual narrative On February 16, 2005, approximately 1015 central standard time, a Robinson R22 helicopter, N322DA, was substantially damaged following a loss of control while hovering at a private airstrip near Owasso, Oklahoma. The flight instructor and the commercial pilot receiving flight instruction sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was owned and operated by PG Aviation of Owasso, Oklahoma. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the training flight that was conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The local flight originated from the Tulsa International Airport (TUL), near Tulsa, Oklahoma, at 0900. In a written statement, the 1,114-hour flight instructor stated that after completing a practice maneuver, the helicopter was hovering into the wind at a skid height of approximately 5 feet. The instructor and student then agreed to terminate the training flight and return to a nearby hangar. At this point, the instructor "released his hold on the cyclic control to the student who apparently had not maintained complete control of the cyclic." The pilot stated " the result was that the helicopter pitched down in a nose down attitude." He "attempted to regain control by pulling back on the cyclic and increasing collective pitch, but these actions were all too late, and the front left skid dug into the grass runway, and the helicopter rolled over on its left side." The commercial pilot receiving instruction, who had accumulated 10-hours of instruction in the helicopter, reported a similar sequence of events and added, "there was a misunderstanding of who had controls of the helicopter." An examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector revealed structural damage to the tail boom. The rotor blades had struck the ground and were damaged, and the left skid was damaged. At 1953, the automated weather observing system at TUL, located approximately 6 miles southwest of the accident site, reported wind from 040 at 10 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, an overcast cloud layer at 15,000 feet, temperature 5 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point minus 3 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.33 inches of Mercury. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N322DA](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N322DA-2013-04-15), registration cancelled 2013-04-15, S/N 3744, built 2004 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Robinson R22 - Registry model: [Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA](https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r22-beta) (registry code 7640110) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Lycoming O-360 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-360-series) (registry code 41575, reciprocating) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 3744 - Engines: Lycoming O-360 180 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Instructional, Part 91 - Registered owner: P.G. Aviation, LLC - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: TUL, Tulsa, OK - Destination: Owasso, OK - Airport: XXX, Private Airstrip ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Flight instructor; age 42; injuries: minor; commercial, flight instructor; instrument ratings: helicopter; medical: class 3; last flight review December 3, 2003; seat: left; flight hours: 1,114 total, 1,114 in this make and model, 1,061 as pilot in command, 164 in the last 90 days, 66 in the last 30 days, 10 in the last 24 hours - Student pilot; age 51; injuries: none; commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 3; seat: rear; flight hours: 415 total, 10 in this make and model, 16 in the last 90 days, 14 in the last 30 days, 3 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 40° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 15,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 41 °F, dew point 27 °F - Altimeter: 30.32 inHg - Observed at: TUL, 6 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 (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20050216001399A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20050216001399A), Feb 16, 2005: Robsin R22BETA, Owasso, OK, Destroyed. (-23) During an instructional flight at a private airport 3 NM west of Owasso, OK the flight instructor was demonstrating a quick stop followed by a descent to… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.