- Date
- November 13, 2000, 14:45 local (19:45 UTC)
- Place
- Babylon, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N25862Robinson R-22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 2, 2001
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20001113039049A
- Case key
- 50627
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 use of the collective, and the instructor pilot's inadequate remedial action.
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 pilot and a flight instructor had departed on a helicopter flight instruction period. The student pilot satisfactorily performed two takeoffs and landings. For the third landing, the instructor completely relinquished the controls to the student. During the landing, the student did not raise the collective to reduce the rate of descent, and the helicopter landed hard. The helicopter then rolled over on its left side, and sustained substantial damage to the skids, tailboom, and fuselage.
Factual narrative
On November 13, 2000, about 1445 Eastern Standard Time, a Robinson R22-B, N25862, was substantially damaged while landing near Babylon, New York. The certificated flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
The instructor stated that he and the student departed Long Island Mac Arthur Airport (ISP), Long Island, New York, about 1345. They flew to a practice landing area along the south shore of Long Island, and the student performed two takeoffs and landings to an island. The instructor felt that the student performed very well during the two landings, so the instructor completely relinquished the controls to the student for the third landing.
During the third landing, the instructor thought that the student would raise the collective to reduce the rate of descent. However, the student never raised the collective, and the helicopter landed hard. The helicopter then rolled over on its left side, and sustained substantial damage to the skids, tailboom, and fuselage.
Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilots report any.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N25862
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0663
- Airframe hours
- 5,480
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Eastern Helicopter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · October 12, 2000 · 73 hours before
- Departed
- ISP · Islip, NY
- Airport
- ISP · Long Island Macarthur
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 33
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Invalid Medical for flight
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 420 total · 420 in this make and model · 315 as pilot in command · 175 in the last 90 days · 60 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,100 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- FRG, 6 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.