- Date
- July 14, 1985, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Piru, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N85594Robinson R-22A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850714031329A
- Case key
- 24771
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 instructed the 25-hour student plt to perform an autorotation with a pwr recovery at 20 ft AGL. The instructor became aware too late that the student was 'dead locked' on the controls and he was unable to recover prior to touchdown. A hard landing resulted, the right skid sank in soft sand and the helicopter rolled onto its right side.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N85594
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 473
- Airframe hours
- 203
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Watson Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Myron Rupprecht
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- WHP · Pacoima, 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
- 34
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 520 total · 460 in this make and model · 400 as pilot in command · 205 in the last 90 days · 150 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
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 N85594 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.