- Date
- April 2, 1992, 16:45 local (Apr 3, 1992, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Simi Valley, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N504RSRobinson R22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 26, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920402010469A
- Case key
- 27589
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 instructor pilot's delayed flare from the autorotation landing. A contributing factor was the soft nature of the terrain.
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 reported that he delayed the flare until it was too late to properly touch down from the autorotation landing he was demonstrating to his student. He said one skid 'dug into soft ground,' control was lost, and the helicopter dynamically rolled over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N504RS
- Reported as
- Robinson R22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1504
- Airframe hours
- 1,037
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Santa Monica Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Sherman, Randolph
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 18, 1992 · 39 hours before
- Departed
- VNY · Van Nuys, 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
- 45
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 953 total · 847 in this make and model · 933 as pilot in command · 282 in the last 90 days · 87 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots, gusting 10
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.