- Date
- July 25, 1992, 15:45 local (22:45 UTC)
- Place
- Carlsbad, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2335QRobinson R-22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 14, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19920725027679A
- Case key
- 27701
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 student pilot's failure to maintain adequate rotor RPM during a simulated engine failure, and the flight instructor's inadequate supervision of the flight.
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
In his written statement, the certified flight instructor said that he and his commercially rated dual student were practicing simulated engine failures after take off. He said that during their third practice engine failure, the 'helicopter got too close to the ground, and the (main rotor) RPM (had) not recovered high enough for (continued) flight.' The flight instructor said he took the controls from the student and slid the helicopter on to rough and uneven terrain. He said that during the landing slide, the main rotor blades contacted the tail boom and severed the rear section of the tail boom.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2335Q
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2154
- Airframe hours
- 149
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 131 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Civic Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Civic Helicopters, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 2, 2000 · 49 hours before
- Departed
- CRQ
- Destination
- CRQ
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
- 44
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,380 total · 650 in this make and model · 8,080 as pilot in command · 128 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °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.
Other investigations on N2335Q · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.