- Date
- June 6, 2002, 11:28 local (18:28 UTC)
- Place
- North Las Vegas, NV
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N7196WRobinson R22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 23, 2002
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flt Standards Dist Office
- FAA report
- 20020606012639A
- Case key
- 54860
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 dual student's improper autorotation and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision.
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 CFI and student had completed several practice 180-degree autorotations. On the fourth approach, the helicopter landed hard. The skids spread apart and the belly contacted the ground.
Factual narrative
On June 6, 2002, at 1128 Pacific daylight time, a Robinson R22 BETA, N7196W, made a hard landing at North Las Vegas (VGT), Nevada. Silver State Aviation was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The certified flight instructor (CFI) pilot and the private pilot undergoing instruction were not injured; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The local instructional flight departed VGT about 1030. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The CFI stated that they had completed several practice 180-degree autorotations. On the fourth approach, the helicopter hit hard. The skids spread apart and the belly contacted the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7196W
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3140
- Airframe hours
- 1,197
- Engine
- Lycoming o-360 J2A, 180 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Silver State Aviation
- Registered owner
- Spitzer Helicopter Leasing Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 30, 2002 · 74 hours before
- Departed
- VGT · North Las Vegas, NV
- Airport
- VGT · North Las Vegas, runway 070, 5,004 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- 25
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- May 5, 2001
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,241 total · 850 in this make and model · 1,128 as pilot in command · 188 in the last 90 days · 98 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 41
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- January 18, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 198 total · 193 in this make and model · 71 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 100 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.85 inHg
- Observed at
- VGT
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 3, 2002, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 372 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.