- Date
- May 1, 1982, 11:20 local (15:20 UTC)
- Place
- Ft. Pierce, FL
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N90249Robinson R-22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 1, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19820501015019A
- Case key
- 70790
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Analysis
The student pilot was performing autorotations with 180 degree turns terminating with power recoveries. At about 200 feet, after completion of the turn, the instructor heard a rattling noise followed by a medium frequency vibration. The instructor took the controls and completed the landing but the helicopter rolled onto the left side when power was applied to cushion the touchdown. Investigation revealed that the tail rotor driveshaft separated at the forward flex coupling attachment. As a result of this accident the manufacturer sent messages to all known operators of the aircraft calling for reinspection of the long tail rotor drive shaft before further flight. In addition, the factory was reported to be involved in a program to make modifications that would permanently correct the problems associated with failures of the long tail rotor drive shafts.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N90249
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0039
- Airframe hours
- 509
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320-A2D, 124 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Pro-Flite Of Vero Beach, Inc
- Registered owner
- Vanir Avco Leasing
- Departed
- Vero Beach, FL
- Destination
- Vero Beach, FL
- Airport
- FPR · St. Lucie County, runway 9, 5,000 × 200 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 23
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,709 total · 851 in this make and model · 1,565 as pilot in command · 274 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 70° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 174 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- VRB, 10 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.