- Date
- May 15, 2023, 11:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Spanish Fork, UT · Open field training area for flight school
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Emergency descent
- Aircraft
- N227WMRobinson Helicopter R22
- Defining event
- Autorotation: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20230515006989A
- Case key
- 174533
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 instructor pilot’s improper landing flare during a straight-in autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The flight instructor and student pilot performed a straight-in autorotation with a power recovery maneuver to simulate landing the helicopter with a complete power loss. As the instructor demonstrated the autorotation, during the glide, the instructor realized that he was going to overshoot the landing spot, and forced the helicopter out of trim, which enabled the helicopter to increase its decent rate. As the helicopter crossed 100 ft above ground level, the instructor trimmed the helicopter and noted that the helicopter’s airspeed and rotor RPMs were about 50 knots and 95%, respectively. The instructor initiated a flare and the helicopter started to sink. He then rolled the engine throttle UP and raised the collective, but the helicopter landed hard. Subsequently, the main rotor struck the tailboom, which sustained substantial damage. The flight instructor reported no mechanical failures or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N227WM
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R22
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 4172
- Built
- 2007
- Airframe hours
- 4,416
- Engine
- Lycoming O-360-J2A, 145 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional · Part 91
- Operator
- Utah Helicopter
- Registered owner
- Utah Helicopter
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 2023 · 16 hours before
- Departed
- KSPK · Spanish Fork, UT
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Satellite tracking device, Handheld GPS, ADS-B
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
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 20, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 357.3 total · 270.7 in this make and model · 312.2 as pilot in command · 167.6 in the last 90 days · 99.4 in the last 30 days · 7.2 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 26
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Student
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 62.6 total · 62.6 in this make and model · 10 as pilot in command · 18.4 in the last 90 days · 5.8 in the last 30 days · 0.8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 59 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.35 inHg
- Observed at
- KPVU, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KPVU 151656Z 28007KT 10SM CLR 18/10 A3036 RMK AO2 SLP249 T01780100
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 4, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.9 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.