- Date
- November 3, 2007, 10:40 local (16:40 UTC)
- Place
- Parma, ID
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N3189ZRobinson R22 Beta
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 20, 2007
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20071103826369A
- Case key
- 67014
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 improper use of the flight controls while performing a hovering autorotation and the flight instructor's excessive remedial action which resulted in a hard landing.
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 flight instructor reported that he and his student were practicing hovering autorotations. After the student successfully performed two hovering autorotations from a height of 2 inches, the flight instructor had the student bring the helicopter to a 1-foot hover. During initiation of the maneuver from this altitude, the student pilot applied full right pedal and began to roll the throttle on, which "immediately resulted in substantial right yaw." The flight instructor corrected by adding left pedal, rolling the throttle off, and lowering the collective. These actions overcorrected for the right yaw and resulted in a left yaw. As the skids touched the ground, the flight instructor fully lowered the collective. The aft cross tube was bent, and the tail boom was wrinkled.
Factual narrative
The flight instructor reported that he and his student were practicing hovering autorotations. After the student successfully performed two hovering autorotations from a height of 2 inches, the flight instructor had the student bring the helicopter to a 1-foot hover. During initiation of the maneuver from this altitude, the student pilot applied full right pedal and began to roll the throttle on, which "immediately resulted in substantial right yaw." The flight instructor corrected by adding left pedal, rolling the throttle off, and lowering the collective. These actions overcorrected for the right yaw and resulted in a left yaw. As the skids touched the ground, the flight instructor fully lowered the collective. The aft cross tube was bent, and the tail boom was wrinkled.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3189Z
- Reported as
- Robinson R22 Beta
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4105
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-J2A, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Silverhawk Aviaiton Academy LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- EUL · Caldwell, ID
- Destination
- 50S · Parma, ID
- Airport
- 50S · Parma
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
- 29
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2
- Flight hours
- 416 total · 364 in this make and model · 183 in the last 90 days · 70 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 25
- Flight hours
- 28 total · 28 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 30 °F, dew point 25 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.