- Date
- October 29, 2005, 12:11 local (16:11 UTC)
- Place
- Doylestown, PA
- Injuries
- 1 minor, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N8176BRobinson R-22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20051029026129A
- Case key
- 62740
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 flight instructor's inadequate remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing and subsequent 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 flight instructor and the student pilot were practicing hovering autorotations from about 3 feet above the ground. The student pilot "cut the throttle," and the helicopter descended. The flight instructor could not recall whether he or the student pilot was moving the collective pitch control. The helicopter subsequently impacted the ground "hard," and "started into a dynamic rollover." The flight instructor stated the helicopter's performance at the time of the accident was "fine," and an inspection of the helicopter by an FAA inspector revealed no mechanical abnormalities.
Factual narrative
On October 29, 2005, at 1211 eastern standard time, a Robinson R22 Beta, N8176B, was substantially damaged during a hard landing and subsequent rollover at Doylestown Airport (DYL), Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The certificated flight instructor incurred minor injuries, and the certificated student pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight, which was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
According to the flight instructor, he and the student pilot were practicing hovering autorotations. They began by performing two or three autorotations about 1 foot above the ground, then climbed the helicopter to about 3 feet above the ground.
The flight instructor recalled that the student pilot "cut the throttle," and the helicopter descended. He could not recall whether he or the student pilot was moving the collective pitch control. The helicopter impacted the ground hard, on the rear portion of the left skid and then "started into a dynamic rollover."
When asked, the flight instructor stated that the helicopter was performing "fine" at the time of the accident.
A Federal Aviation Administration inspector examined the helicopter following the accident, and noted no mechanical abnormalities.
The weather reported at Doylestown Airport, at 1154, included winds from 350 degrees at 12 knots, an overcast ceiling at 6,000 feet, and 10 statute miles visibility.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8176B
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2406
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 131 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Cent Co Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- DYL · Doylestown, PA
- Destination
- DYL
- Airport
- DYL · Doylestown Airport
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
- 62
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,500 total · 1,500 in this make and model · 145 in the last 90 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 21
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Flight hours
- 8 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC)
- Wind
- 350° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 6,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 46 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.25 inHg
- Observed at
- DYL
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.