- Date
- February 2, 1991, 15:37 local (20:37 UTC)
- Place
- Coram, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8555KRobinson R-22 Alpha
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 7, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 36875
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 pilot-in-command's failure to maintain rotor RPM and misjudging the height of the flare during a precautionary autorotative landing, resulting in a roll over during the landing flare touchdown.
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
N8555K was enroute from shirley, new york, to islip, new york, at a cruising altitude of 1100 feet when the pilot heard a persistent noise from the rear of the aircraft. He attempted a precautionary autorotative landing. The noise persisted throughout descent. At approximately 5 feet above the ground, tail rotor effectiveness was lost, and the helicopter skid made contact with the ground causing a roll over.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8555K
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22 Alpha
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0446
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- American Helicopter Corp
- Registered owner
- American Helicopter Corp
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- HWV · Shirley, NY
- Destination
- ISP · Ronkonkoma, NY
- Airport
- NONE · Coram Airpark
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
- 32
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land, Multi-engine sea, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 1,840 total · 157 in this make and model · 1,607 as pilot in command · 180 in the last 90 days · 72 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 225° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None