- Date
- March 19, 2007, 17:45 local (Mar 20, 2007, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Taylorsville, UT
- Injuries
- 2 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N74347Robinson R22 Beta 2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 27, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070319002739A
- Case key
- 65445
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 NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
The flight instructor's failure to maintain aircraft control during the flare/touchdown while practicing an autorotation which resulted in a hard landing. A factor which contributed to the accident was the downdraft wind condition.
Analysis
The certified flight instructor was providing instruction to the private pilot, who was training for a commercial rating. While practicing a 180-degree autorotation, a downdraft was encountered approximately 200 feet above ground level (agl), and the helicopter made a hard landing. The flight instructor stated, "I said that I had [the] controls and proceeded to bring back the power at about 150 feet agl. Everything was good; rotor and engine rpm were in the green. I pulled collective up as I've done in previous situations, but this time it was different. I pulled collective, but it was almost as if the helicopter couldn't fly out of it." No anomalies were reported with the helicopter.
Factual narrative
The certified flight instructor was providing instruction to the private pilot, who was training for a commercial rating. While practicing a 180-degree autorotation, a downdraft was encountered approximately 200 feet above ground level (agl). The flight instructor stated, "I said that I had [the] controls and proceeded to bring back the power at about 150 feet agl. Everything was good; rotor and engine rpm were in the green. I pulled collective up as I've done in previous situations, but this time it was different. I pulled collective, but it was almost as if the helicopter couldn't fly out of it." The helicopter subsequently landed hard, which resulted in the tail boom being severed and the aircraft coming to rest on its right side. There was no post-accident fire, and no anomalies were reported with the helicopter.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N74347
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 Beta 2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 3759
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Suncrest Aviation
- Registered owner
- Jonathan Heaton
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- U77 · Spanish Fork, UT
- Destination
- U77 · Spanish Fork, UT
- Airport
- U42 · Salt Lake #2, runway 34, 5,860 × 100 ft, asphalt
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
- 22
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 786 total · 634 in this make and model · 198 in the last 90 days · 93 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 22
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 102 total · 97 in this make and model · 53 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Observed at
- U42
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.