- Date
- November 1, 1991, 16:43 local (Nov 2, 1991, 00:43 UTC)
- Place
- Riverside, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N549SMRobinson R-22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 27, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19911101048869A
- Case key
- 27493
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 failure of the engine to transmission drive belt and the pilots failure to correctly judge of the landing flare during the subsequent 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 solo student was practicing takeoffs and landings. While downwind the student said the engine RPM indicator suddenly pegged at the top of the gauge and the rotor RPM began rapidly decreasing. The student initiated an auto rotation. The helicopter landed hard and rolled over. Examination of the helicopter by FAA inspectors revealed that the forward drive belt was split longitudinally and displaced from the transmission pulley. The aft drive belt was found off the engine and transmission pulleys. No other system abnormalities were noted.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N549SM
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1549
- Airframe hours
- 1,299
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Parflite, Inc.
- Registered owner
- C. L. Marlow
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · October 17, 1991 · 49 hours before
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 25
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 150 total · 63 in this make and model · 19 as pilot in command · 83 in the last 90 days · 29 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.