- Date
- April 4, 2005, 17:00 local (Apr 5, 2005, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Corvallis, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N303PRRobinson R-22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 13, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Portland FSDO
- FAA report
- 20050404005389A
- Case key
- 61254
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 failure to maintain directional control while attempting to turn in the direction necessary to air-taxi to the landing pad, and the flight instructor's failure to take remedial action soon enough to correct the problems created when the student lost directional control. Factors include a tailwind encountered by the aircraft during the aforementioned turn.
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 was at the controls as the instructional flight approached the airport from the east on a practice VOR-A approach. Because the student misunderstood the instructor’s directions to touch down on the numbers of Runway 17, he proceeded to a grassy area between the approach ends of Runway 35 and Runway 27. During the last part of his approach to the grassy area, the student had the helicopter headed into the wind, but when he was about 30 to 40 feet above the ground, he initiated a right turn in order to air-taxi to the helicopter landing pad. During that turn, the helicopter was exposed to a direct tailwind of between five to seven knots, and during that sequence of events, the student failed to maintain directional control, and the aircraft began spinning to the right. Although the instructor pilot took control of the aircraft, her remedial action was not taken soon enough to recover control before the helicopter's left skid impacted the terrain. After the skid hit the terrain, the aircraft rolled over onto its left side, where it came to rest. There were no issues with the helicopter's flight control system, nor any problem with the engine's production of power.
Factual narrative
On April 4, 2005, approximately 1700 Pacific daylight time, a Robinson R-22 Beta helicopter, N303PR, impacted the terrain while maneuvering to land at Corvallis Municipal Airport, Corvallis, Oregon. The instructor pilot and her private pilot rated student were not injured, but the aircraft, which is owned by Pacific Rim Aviation, and operated by Avia Aviation, sustained substantial damage. The local 14 CFR Part 91 instructional flight, which departed the same airport about 75 minutes prior to the accident, was being operated in visual meteorological conditions. No flight plan had been filed.
According to the instructor pilot, the student was at the controls as they approached the airport from the east on a practice VOR-A approach. Because the student misunderstood the instructor's directions to touch down on the numbers of Runway 17 at the termination of the approach, he proceeded to a grassy area between the approach ends of Runway 35 and Runway 27. During the last part of his approach to the grassy area, the student had the helicopter headed into the wind, but when he was about 30 to 40 feet above the ground, he initiated a right turn in order to air-taxi to the helicopter landing pad. During that turn, the helicopter was exposed to a direct tailwind of between five to seven knots, and during that sequence of events, the student failed to maintain directional control, and the aircraft began spinning to the right. Although the instructor pilot took control of the aircraft, her remedial action was not taken soon enough to regain control before the helicopter's left skid impacted the terrain. After the skid hit the terrain, the aircraft rolled over onto its left side, where it came to rest.
According to the instructor, there were no issues with the helicopter's flight control system, nor any problem with the engine's production of power.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N303PR
- Reported as
- Robinson R-22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1039
- Airframe hours
- 9,944
- Engine
- Lycoming O-320, 160 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Avia Aviation Services, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Pacific Rim Aviation, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · March 10, 2005 · 83 hours before
- Departed
- KCVO · Corvallis, OR
- Destination
- KCVO · Corvallis, OR
- Airport
- KCVO · Corvallis Municipal
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
- 33
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- January 24, 2005
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 279 total · 108 in this make and model · 190 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 19
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- January 4, 2005
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 112 total · 112 in this make and model · 64 as pilot in command · 32 in the last 90 days · 7 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 7,500 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.13 inHg
- Observed at
- KCVO
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.