- Date
- May 16, 1998, 10:48 local (17:48 UTC)
- Place
- San Jose, CA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N2332GRobinson R22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 11, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19980516009599A
- Case key
- 30086
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, 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
The flight instructor and the commercial rated pilot were practicing slope landings. The student stated that as she set the helicopter down it didn't feel right, and she attempted to abort the landing by pulling in full collective. The helicopter became airborne and the main rotor rpm decreased to the point where the low rotor rpm horn and light were activated. The flight instructor reported that he took the controls and recovered the rotor rpm to 92 percent. He attempted to cushion the landing but the helicopter landed hard on the forward portion of the left skid. The left skid tip impacted the berm and the helicopter rolled onto its left side. There was no report of prior mechanical malfunctions.
Factual narrative
On May 16, 1998, at 1048 hours Pacific daylight time, a Robinson R22B, N2332G, impacted the terrain and rolled over at the Reid-Hillview Airport in San Jose, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage and the certified flight instructor and dual student were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The local instructional flight originated at 1010.
The certified flight instructor reported that he and the commercial rated pilot were working on traffic patterns and had made several practice landings to a 10-degree slope. At the time of the accident, the student was on the controls. She reported that as she set the helicopter down, "it didn't feel right," and she attempted to abort the landing by pulling in full collective and applying aft cyclic. The helicopter became airborne and the main rotor rpm decreased to the point where the low rotor rpm horn and light were activated. The flight instructor reported that he lowered the collective, rolled on the throttle, and neutralized the pedals. The instructor reported that the rotor rpm was recovered to approximately 92 percent. He then applied aft cyclic and lifted the collective to cushion the landing. The helicopter landed hard on the forward portion of the left skid. The skid tip impacted the berm and the helicopter rolled onto its left side.
The pilot reported no prior mechanical malfunctions with the aircraft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2332G
- Reported as
- Robinson R22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0521
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- California In Nice, Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- RHV
- Airport
- RHV · Reid-Hillview
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
- 50
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 285 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- KRH
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.