- Date
- October 6, 2017, 07:20 local (14:20 UTC)
- Place
- Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N878MCRobinson Helicopter R22 Beta
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 14, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 96258
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 tension on the flight control at a low level during an autorotation, which did not allow sufficient time for the flight instructor to correct and recover control before the 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 purpose of the training flight was to practice autorotations with power recovery. The flight instructor reported that, as the helicopter descended through about 40 ft, he instructed the student pilot to increase the landing flare and roll on throttle for power recovery. As the helicopter continued to quickly descend to about 8 ft, they raised the collective, and the flight instructor felt resistance in the collective. The rpms began to drag down, and he tried rolling on the throttle to bring the rpms back up. The flight instructor reported that he believed that the student had tensed up on the throttle and collective as he tried to keep the helicopter level and cushion for the landing. The student pilot reported that, in hindsight, he was pulling up on the collective, but his hand (wrist) was locked, which prevented the governor to roll on and increase power. The helicopter subsequently landed hard, which resulted in substantial damage the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation
Factual narrative
The purpose of the training flight was to practice auto rotations with power recovery. The flight instructor reported that as the helicopter descended through about 40 ft, he instructed the student to increase the landing flare and roll on throttle for power recovery. As the helicopter continued to quickly descend to about 8 ft, they raised the collective and the flight instructor felt resistance in the collective. The rpms began to drag down and he tried rolling on the throttle to bring the rpms back up. The flight instructor reported that he believed that the student had tensed up on the throttle and collective as he tried to keep the helicopter level and cushion for the landing. The student pilot reported that in hindsight, he was pulling up on the collective, but his hand (wrist) was locked which prevented the governor to roll on and increase power. The helicopter subsequently landed hard, substantially damaging the fuselage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N878MC
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22 Beta (BETA)
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3782
- Built
- 2005
- Airframe hours
- 5,259.8
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360 SERIES, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · August 30, 2017
- Departed
- VGT · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- VGT · Las Vegas, NV
- Airport
- VGT · North Las Vegas
- Equipment
- Unknown
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 3, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 6, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 935.5 total · 815 as pilot in command · 91.5 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 35
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Unknown
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 20 total · 20 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 10° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KVGT
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 12, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.1 MB in all.