- Date
- January 18, 2005, 12:20 local (18:20 UTC)
- Place
- Gulf Port, MS
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N26498Robinson R22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 30, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20050118000229A
- Case key
- 60877
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 inadequate flare and his failure to maintain rotor rpm which resulted in a hard landing. Also causal was the 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 instructor stated, the student entered a well maintained 70-knot glide prior to performing the autorotation recovery. The student flared too high, 10 to 12 feet agl and kept the throttle closed, preventing the governor from restoring the rpm needed to recover from the maneuver. The lack of sufficient lift and low altitude did not allow him to slow the descent. The skids and the tailboom of the helicopter incurred substantial damage from the hard landing. The student pilot stated, everything at the time of the flare was normal; however, the instructor took control of the aircraft and felt him trying to roll the throttle on, but for some reason, the student was unable to release the throttle. The helicopter landed hard from about 5 to 6 feet above the ground.
Factual narrative
On January 18, 2005, at approximately 1220 central standard time, a Robinson R22, N26498, registered to and operated by Vortex Helicopters Inc., experienced a hard landing. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the Title 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight. The flight instructor and student pilot reported no injuries, and the helicopter incurred substantial damage. The flight originated from Vortex Heliport, Long Beach, Mississippi, earlier that day, about 1200.
The instructor stated, the student entered a well maintained 70-knot glide prior to performing the autorotation recovery. The student flared too high, 10 to 12 feet agl and kept the throttle closed, preventing the governor from restoring the rpm needed to recover from the maneuver. The lack of sufficient lift and low altitude did not allow him to slow the decent. The skids and the tailboom of the helicopter incurred substantial damage from the hard landing.
The student pilot stated, everything at the time of the flare was normal; however, the instructor took control of the aircraft and felt him trying to roll the throttle on, but for some reason, the student was unable to release the throttle. The helicopter landed hard from about 5 to 6 feet above the ground.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N26498
- Reported as
- Robinson R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 836
- Airframe hours
- 10,960.7
- Engine
- Lycoming 0320B2C, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Vortex Helicopoters Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · December 30, 2004 · 35.1 hours before
- Departed
- K35M · Long beach, MS
- Destination
- KGPT · Biloxi, MS
- Airport
- KGPT · Gulfport Biloxi International
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
- Flight instructor
- Age
- 22
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- July 7, 2004
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 511 total · 511 in this make and model · 358 as pilot in command · 172 in the last 90 days · 37 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 35 total · 35 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 40° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 14 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.65 inHg
- Observed at
- GPT
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 N26498 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.