- Date
- September 17, 1991, 17:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lewisville, TX
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N2306CRobinson R22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910917040519A
- Case key
- 23398
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
Loss of control due to foreign object damage induced binding flight controls. A factor was improper maintenance.
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 day ferry flight, the private pilot experienced binding of the flight controls and landed the helicopter on a lake. After moving the controls while floating on the surface, the binding went away. After he took off again, the controls would not respond to inputs and bound up. The helicopter descended out of control and impacted the water. Examination of the helicopter revealed numerous pieces of hardware, washers, nuts, and cotter keys on the deck immediately behind the transmission and below the flight controls. The helicopter had a total of 20 hours since new. No subsequent maintenance had been performed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2306C
- Reported as
- Robinson R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1935M
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Airswell, Inc.
- Departed
- FTW · Fort Worth, TX
- Destination
- ADS · Dallas, 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
- 40
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 226 total · 150 in this make and model · 90 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 13 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.