- Date
- February 12, 2001, 16:40 local (21:40 UTC)
- Place
- Parkland, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N2327SRobinson R22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20010212038669A
- Case key
- 51716
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 instructor to take corrective action in a timely manner to prevent the helicopter from contacting the ground when the student allowed it to descend during hover practice which resulted in a dynamic rollover.
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 was practicing hovering with the flight instructor following lightly on the controls. The helicopter was drifting to the left and the student allowed the helicopter to settle. The instructor waited for him to take corrective action and when he did not, the instructor then instructed the student to take corrective action. The student did not and as the instructor initiated corrective action, the left skid skipped on the ground and the helicopter began to roll to the left. Attempts by the instructor to correct the roll were not successful and the helicopter rolled over to the left. The instructor stated dynamic rollover was the cause of the roll.
Factual narrative
On February 12, 2001, about 1640 eastern standard time, a Robinson R22 Beta, N2327S, registered to an individual, crashed while maneuvering near Parkland, Florida, while on a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter received substantial damage and the commercial-rated flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. The flight originated from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the same day, about 1550.
The flight instructor stated that after departure from Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport,, they flew to the practice area northwest of the airport. After practicing hovering for about 35 minutes, they practiced a traffic pattern, to breakup the lesson. After performing the traffic pattern, they returned to practicing hovering. About 5 minutes later, while hovering, the student was flying the helicopter. The helicopter was drifting to the left and the student let the helicopter settle from about 5 feet. The instructor stayed light on the controls and waited for the student to correct the altitude. He told the student to raise the collective and apply some right cyclic. The student failed to correct and as the instructor began to make the corrections, the left skid skipped off of the ground. This put the helicopter into a rolling motion to the left. He applied collective and full right cyclic, which was ineffective. They then experienced a dynamic rollover situation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N2327S
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2113
- Airframe hours
- 5,532
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Volar Helicopters, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Matthew Spitzer
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 24, 2001 · 87 hours before
- Departed
- FXE · Fort Lauderdale, FL
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- July 14, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 321 total · 321 in this make and model · 264 as pilot in command · 103 in the last 90 days · 14 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3 total · 3 in this make and model · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- FXE, 8 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.