- Date
- March 28, 1991, 13:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Spring, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8050BRobinson R-22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910328007809A
- Case key
- 23313
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
Power loss due to carburetor ice, the pilot's failure to use carburetor heat, and his failure to apply adequate cushioning collective pitch during the flare segment of the autorotation. A factor in the accident was the pilot's improper autorotation technique.
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 a partial loss of engine power due to carburetor ice, the pilot failed to apply carburetor heat in an effort to regain power. During the forced landing to a residential area the student pilot did not apply appropriate collective cushioning pitch resulting in the helicopter landing hard as the tail rotor and main rotor struck a tree. Temperature/dew point were 78/67 degrees respectively.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8050B
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1136
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Heliicopters International
- Departed
- DWH · Tomball, TX
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
- 34
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 233 total · 53 in this make and model · 144 as pilot in command · 66 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Observed at
- DWH, 10 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.