- Date
- March 16, 2001, 09:30 local (14:30 UTC)
- Place
- Okeechobee, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N666BHRobinson R22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 14, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20010316023319A
- Case key
- 51936
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
an in-flight collision with the ground during a simulated engine failure, and autorotation, which resulted in the tailboom separating. A contributing factor in this accident was the pilot allowed the rotor rpm to decay which resulted in inadequate rotor rpm to cushion the helicopter onto the ground.
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 certified flight instructor [CFI] was demonstrating a low-level simulated engine failure/autorotation to the student. According to the CFI's statement, on approach, at about 250ft above ground level, the CFI took the controls and entered an autorotation to demonstrate the importance of maintaining sufficient airspeed in case of an engine failure. He started the power recovery too late allowing the rotor rpm to decay and the heel of the skids to contact the ground hard rocking the helicopter forward followed by a loud bang as the main rotor blades struck and severed the tailboom.
Factual narrative
On March 16, 2001, about 0930 eastern standard time, a Robinson R22 helicopter, N666BH, registered to a private owner, operating as a Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, had an in-flight collision with the ground and separation of the tailboom during a simulated engine failure/autorotation near Okeechobee, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. No flight plan was filed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The commercial rated-pilot/certified flight instructor (CFI), and student pilot, reported no injuries. The flight had departed from Stuart, Florida, at 0815.
The CFI was demonstrating a low-level simulated engine failure to the student. According to the CFI's statement, "…on our first approach the student entered on a very steep approach angle and low airspeed, we aborted and made right traffic pattern to reenter on a normal to shallow approach angle, at about 250ft I took the controls and entered an autorotation to demonstrate the importance of maintaining sufficient airspeed incase of an engine failure. I started the power recovery too late allowing the rotor rpm to decay and the heel of the skids to contact the ground hard rocking the helicopter forward followed by a loud bang as the main rotor struck and severed the tailboom. The landing site was grass level ground.
According to the FAA inspector's statement, "the flight instructor was flying the aircraft..…interviews with the flight instructor and student pilot [revealed]..…the rotor rpm decreased to a critically low valve. The flight instructor attempted a power recovery, but was not able to prevent the helicopter from striking the ground. After ground contact, one main rotor blade flexed downward and completely severed the tailboom…."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N666BH
- Reported as
- Robinson R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1945M
- Airframe hours
- 1,872
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-B2C, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Francisco E. Leon
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 10, 2001 · 12.2 hours before
- Departed
- STU · Okeechobee, FL
- Destination
- OBE · Okeechobee, FL
- Airport
- OBE · Okeechobee County, runway 04, 5,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- November 4, 2000
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,543 total · 800 in this make and model · 1,459 as pilot in command · 300 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 37 total · 37 in this make and model · 17 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 11 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- FPR, 30 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.