- Date
- July 17, 2007, 15:20 local (22:20 UTC)
- Place
- Bend, OR
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N707WHRobinson R22
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20070717013379A
- Case key
- 66246
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
An excessive descent rate during a simulated power-off autorotation, and the pilot's failure to initiate corrective action in time to keep the helicopter from impacting the terrain.
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
After completing five or six successful simulated power-off autorotations, the pilot entered an autorotation in which he allowed the helicopter's descent rate to become excessive. Although he attempted to take corrective action, he did not do so in time to keep the aircraft from contacting an asphalt surface with sufficient force to result in substantial damage to the helicopter's airframe.
Factual narrative
After completing five or six successful simulated power-off autorotations, the pilot entered an autorotation in which he allowed the helicopter's descent rate to become excessive. Although he attempted to take corrective action, he did not do so in time to keep the aircraft from contacting an asphalt surface with sufficient force to result in substantial damage to the helicopter's airframe.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N707WH
- Reported as
- Robinson R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 2814
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-J2A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Leading Edge Aviation
- Registered owner
- Toy Chest LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KRDN · Bend, OR
- Destination
- KBDN · Bend, OR
- Airport
- KBDN · Bend Municipal Airport, runway 34
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
- 26
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 485 total · 400 in this make and model · 200 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 340° at 10 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.