- Date
- February 10, 1991, 15:20 local (23:20 UTC)
- Place
- Piru, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8491ARobinson R22A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910210002409A
- Case key
- 27112
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
Failure of the CFI to maintain main rotor RPM during a demonstrated autorotation.
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 was demonstrating a 180 degree autorotation to his student in a 25 kt wind. The CFI allowed the main rotor RPM to bleed off and was unable to recover the RPM before touchdown. The helicopter landed hard and the main rotor severed the tailboom. The helicopter then rolled over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8491A
- Reported as
- Robinson R22A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0404
- Airframe hours
- 6,154
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Watson Helicopters Inc.
- Registered owner
- Tourtelot, Robert
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 12, 1991 · 37 hours before
- 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
- 30
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 2,370 total · 2,351 in this make and model · 2,290 as pilot in command · 167.1 in the last 90 days · 102.5 in the last 30 days · 3.7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 275° at 25 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.