- Date
- August 2, 1989, 15:08 local (22:08 UTC)
- Place
- Palm Springs, CA
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N971JGRobinson R22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890802034359A
- Case key
- 26464
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 pilot's failure to properly manipulate the throttle control to maintain engine/rotor RPM and his decision to enter an autorotation (forced landing). His eagerness to land and lack of total experience were factors in the accident.
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
While enroute to his first destination of a solo instructional flight, the recently rated pilot observed the helicopter's engine RPM sightly below the normal range. He was unable to increase the RPM and elected to enter an autorotative descent to the ground. During the autorotation, he observed electrical power lines in his flight path and maneuvered to avoid them. The helicopter collided with the ground seriously injuring the pilot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N971JG
- Reported as
- Robinson R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0843
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 131 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Helistream, Inc.
- Departed
- SNA · Santa Ana, CA
- Destination
- PSP · Palm Springs, CA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 35
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 82 total · 82 in this make and model · 25 as pilot in command · 45 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 104 °F
- Observed at
- PSP, 7 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.