- Date
- July 14, 2000, 09:45 local (16:45 UTC)
- Place
- Lake Piru, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N169CWRobinson R-22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 1, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000714005639A
- Case key
- 49710
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 improper use of the cyclic control by the pilot under instruction, and the flight instructor's lack of remedial action.
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
The flight instructor and the commercial pilot were practicing autorotations in preparation for a flight instructor check ride by the commercial pilot. The instructor said they were practicing full touchdown autorotations and on the first attempt, the commercial pilot had placed the cyclic too far forward. On the second attempt, the commercial pilot placed the cyclic too far back causing the main rotor blade to come into contact with the tailboom assembly.
Factual narrative
On July 14, 2000, at 0945 hours Pacific daylight time, a Robinson R-22 Beta, N169CW, landed hard and the main rotor severed the tail boom during an autorotation to the ground near Lake Piru, California. The flight instructor and the commercial pilot were not injured. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The purpose of the instructional flight was a preparation for a flight instructor check ride. The helicopter, operated by Group Three Aviation, was being flown under 14 CFR Part 91 when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed for the local area flight. The flight originated at 0810.
According to the flight instructor, they were practicing full touchdown autorotations and had completed one prior to this attempt. The flight instructor stated that in the prior autorotation the student had placed the cyclic too far forward, and during this attempt the cyclic was moved too far back, and the main rotor came into contact with the tailboom assembly.
According to the operator, upon ground contact, the tail boom leveled resulting in tail boom contact with the main rotor in the plain of rotation. The tail boom was severed upon impact with the main rotor.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N169CW
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3002
- Airframe hours
- 720
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Group Three Aviation
- Registered owner
- Copterworks West
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · July 1, 2000 · 20 hours before
- Departed
- KVNY · Van Nuys, CA
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
- 36
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,750 total · 3,148 in this make and model · 4,700 as pilot in command · 260 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 15,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 171 °F, dew point 126 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VNY, 20 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.
Other investigations on N169CW · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.