SEA04CA149

During his first approach the pilot noted that it was a very dark night, and that there were some brightly shining "flood lights" in his eleven o'clock position while he was on short final for landing. Even though the flood lights were "limiting" his vision, his first landing was successful. After the first landing, the pilot hovered near the touchdown point for a few minutes, and then was cleared by the tower to proceed around the pattern for another landing. When the pilot was on short final for the second landing, while the helicopter was still about 50 feet above the ground, he saw the low rotor rpm light flicker. He therefore reduced collective and checked the rpm gage, which showed that both the engine and rotor rpm were where they should be. Soon thereafter the helicopter impacted the runway surface. The flickering of the warning light, along with the pilot's glance at the rpm gage, caused him to momentarily be distracted, and that, along with the effect of the food lights and the dark night, resulted in him not seeing the ground in time to initiate a landing flare.

On July 28, 2004, approximately 2315 mountain daylight time, a Robinson R-22 helicopter, N8356R, impacted the runway surface during a night landing at Boise Air Terminal, Boise, Idaho. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, was not injured, but the aircraft, which is operated by Silverhawk Aviation Academy, sustained substantial damage. The 14 CFR Part 91 commercial maneuvers training flight, which departed Caldwell, Idaho, about 25 minutes prior to the accident, was being conducted in visual meteorological conditions. The pilot was on a VFR flight plan.

According to the pilot, the purpose of the flight was to practice commercial maneuvers in order to gain proficiency in preparation for his commercial helicopter practical examination. During his first approach he noted that it was a very dark night, and that there were some brightly shining "flood lights" in his eleven o'clock position while he was on short final for landing. He said that even though the flood lights were "limiting" to his vision, the first landing was successful. After the first landing, the pilot hovered near the touchdown point for a few minutes, and then was cleared by the tower to proceed around the pattern for another landing. According to the pilot, while on short final for the second landing, with the helicopter still about 50 feet above the ground, he saw the low rotor rpm light flicker. He therefore reduced collective and checked the rpm gage, which showed that both the engine and rotor rpm were where they should be. Soon thereafter the helicopter impacted the runway surface.

According to the pilot, the flickering of the warning light, along with his glance at the rpm gage, caused him to be momentarily distracted, and that, along with the effect of the food lights and the dark night, resulted in him not seeing the ground in time to initiate a flare.