- Date
- June 5, 1996, 11:15 local (18:15 UTC)
- Place
- Paso Robles, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2311RRobinson R22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1998
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960605012779A
- Case key
- 29461
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 loss of control and subsequent dynamic rollover due to his abrupt and excessive use of the collective and anti-torque controls.
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 student pilot decided to hover taxi back to the operator's ramp from the helipad. As the helicopter was getting light on the skids, he abruptly pulled collective and the aircraft began to spin to the right. He applied full left pedal and the helicopter then began to spin to the left. He bottomed the collective in an attempt to put the aircraft back down on the pad, and as it touched down, it rolled onto its right side. After the accident, he told another pilot at the school that he had encountered dynamic rollover.
Factual narrative
On June 5, 1996, at 1115 hours Pacific daylight time, a Robinson R22 Beta, N2311R, rolled over while transitioning from the helipad to hover taxi at the Paso Robles Municipal Airport, Paso Robles, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, the solo student pilot was not injured. The aircraft was being operated as an instructional flight by Kyodo Air, Inc., when the accident occurred. The flight originated in Paso Robles at 1043 on the morning of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed.
The student pilot reported that he had been doing hover practice about 1 to 2 feet agl over the helipad. He decided to hover taxi back to the operator's ramp after setting down on the pad. As the helicopter was getting light on the skids, he abruptly pulled collective and the aircraft began to spin to the right. He applied full left pedal and the helicopter then began to spin to the left. He bottomed the collective in an attempt to put the aircraft back down on the pad, and as it touched down, it rolled onto its right side. After the accident, he told another pilot at the school that he had encountered dynamic rollover.
The operator reported that the main rotor and tail rotor blades, empennage, swashplate, cyclic and collective control push-pull rods, main rotor gearbox, skids, and windscreen were damaged in the accident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2311R
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1964
- Airframe hours
- 1,856
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Kyodo Air, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · May 30, 1996 · 12 hours before
- Departed
- PRB
- Airport
- PRB · Paso Robles Municipal
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
- 33
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 40 total · 40 in this make and model · 1 as pilot in command · 40 in the last 90 days · 27 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- PRB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.