- Date
- April 14, 1993, 16:18 local (20:18 UTC)
- Place
- Ronkonkoma, NY
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N344WARobinson R22B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 19, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930414009329A
- Case key
- 37308
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 lack of adequate supervision and delayed remedial action by the flight instructor. A factor related to the accident was the delay in adding power by the student pilot which resulted in a low rotor RPM condition.
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 was making an autorotation with a power recovery. During the flare, the low rotor warning horn came on. The flight instructor took control of the helicopter and attempted to recover the rotor RPM. He was unsuccessful and made a run on landing in a nose low attitude. The skids dug in and the helicopter nosed over. The CFI had 205 hours total time and 20 hours as a CFI.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N344WA
- Reported as
- Robinson R22B
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0585
- Airframe hours
- 3,411
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Eastern Helicopters
- Registered owner
- Atlantic Coast Helicopter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · February 22, 1993 · 64 hours before
- Departed
- ISP
- Destination
- ISP
- Airport
- ISP · Long Island
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 22
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 205 total · 205 in this make and model · 152 as pilot in command · 19 in the last 90 days · 13 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 210° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ISP, 1 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.