Robinson R22 BETA N994RW

Summary

On 5 September 2004 at about 15:20 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N994RW, operated by Silver State Helicopter, was involved in an accident near North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

5 September 2004 at 15:20

Classification

Accident

Location

North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States

Nearest airport

North Las Vegas (VGT)

Coordinates

36.2125, -115.1961

Aircraft

Robinson R22 BETA

Registration

N994RW

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Silver State Helicopter

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

North Las Vegas → North Las Vegas

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX04LA314

1 person was seriously injured.

The certified flight instructor's misjudged flare and delayed recovery from the practice autorotation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The helicopter hit the ground hard during a practice autorotation and rolled over. The accident occurred during the 7th approach to the runway. An on-duty air traffic controller observed the helicopter perform what he described as a very steep approach to the runway. The helicopter's descent rate did not appear to significantly decrease, whereupon it impacted the ground and rolled over. The instructor said that after the student improperly initiated the autorotation, he told his student that he had the controls. The student let go of the controls, and the instructor commenced the 180-degree turn toward the runway. The instructor said he intended to complete the maneuver by performing a power recovery and a go-around. The instructor said that as he rolled out of the turn and attempted the power recovery, he realized that he had accumulated a huge descent rate that did not seem to stabilize after leveling out at approximately 15 feet above ground level (agl). The helicopter was still descending very fast when he pulled aft cyclic and attempted to roll the throttle on and raise the collective, but before he could complete the flare, the helicopter hit the ground, slid for approximately 200 to 300 feet, and rolled over.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.