Robinson R22A N8491A
10 February 1991 · Piru, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 10 February 1991 at about 23:20 local time, a Robinson R22A registered N8491A, operated by Watson Helicopters Inc., was involved in an accident near Piru, California, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Piru, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.4307, -118.7497
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22A
- Registration
- N8491A
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Watson Helicopters Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Pacoima → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX91LA097
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE CFI TO MAINTAIN MAIN ROTOR RPM DURING A DEMONSTRATED AUTOROTATION.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE CFI WAS DEMONSTRATING A 180 DEGREE AUTOROTATION TO HIS STUDENT IN A 25 KT WIND. THE CFI ALLOWED THE MAIN ROTOR RPM TO BLEED OFF AND WAS UNABLE TO RECOVER THE RPM BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD AND THE MAIN ROTOR SEVERED THE TAILBOOM. THE HELICOPTER THEN ROLLED OVER.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R22A accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Jul 1991 | Robinson R22A | El Cerrito, California, United States | Para Flite, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 May 1990 | Robinson R22A | Torrance, California, United States | Rolling Hills Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 1990 | Robinson R22A | Pinon Hills, California, United States | Sundance Helicopters, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 7 Sep 1990 | Robinson R22A | Beatty, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 1992 | Robinson R22A | Sanford, Maine, United States | Rotorcraft Inc | No injuries | - |
| 26 Oct 1989 | Robinson R22A | Simi Valley, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jul 1991 | Cessna C-172P | Hesperia, California, United States | South Bay Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Cessna 172N | Napa, California, United States | Bridgeford Flying SVC. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1991 | Beechcraft 76 | Sacramento, California, United States | Altair Aviation Corp. | No injuries | - |
| 27 Jul 1991 | Ayres S2R | Visalia, California, United States | Gilbert Aviation Industries | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1991 | Cessna 421C | Auburn, California, United States | Edward Mueller | No injuries | - |
| 2 Aug 1991 | Champion 7GCBC | Lake Elsinore, California, United States | Halbeisen, John F | Fatal | 2 |