Robinson R22 BETA N993KC
12 September 2007 · Fort Stockton, Texas, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 12 September 2007 at about 19:38 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N993KC, operated by Smith Helicopters Inc, was involved in an accident near Fort Stockton, Texas, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 19:38
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Fort Stockton, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 31.3639, -103.0194
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA
- Registration
- N993KC
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Smith Helicopters Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Business
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Fort Stockton → Fort Stockton
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DFW07LA197
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Probable cause
The failure of the v-belt drive system to the main rotor for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was insufficient altitude to perform a successful autorotation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The single-engine helicopter experienced a hard landing after a malfunction of the belt drive system for the main rotor. The pilot had just taken off from a trailer and had transitioned to low level cruise flight when he heard a loud bang. The pilot cross-checked his engine instruments and observed the engine RPM was excessively high and the rotor RPM was below 80 percent, accompanied by the low rotor RPM warning. The pilot then initiated an autorotation and landed hard with near zero forward speed. The aircraft bounced backwards after initial impact and came to rest in the upright position. The on-scene investigation noted that one of the v-belts to the main rotor drive system had separated which caused the other belt to slip off the upper spindle. The reason for the separation could not be determined.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Apr 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Van Horn, Texas, United States | Silver State Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 26 Feb 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Melbourne, Florida, United States | Silver State Helicopters | No injuries | - |
| 21 Apr 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Spanish Fork, Utah, United States | Utah Helicopter | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States | Rotorspins LLC | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2007 | Robinson R22 | Bend, Oregon, United States | Leading Edge Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 20 Nov 2007 | Robinson R22 BETA | Ramona, California, United States | Silver State Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Feb 2007 | Piper PA-30 | Lubbock, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 10 Aug 2007 | Luscombe 8A | Mason County, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Feb 2007 | Embraer EMB-145LR | Dallas, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 2007 | Cessna A188B | Happy, Texas, United States | Dudley McNeill | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Sep 2007 | Cessna 172S | Tyler, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jul 2007 | Bell 47G-2A | Mercedes, Texas, United States | Hendrickson Flying Service | Minor injuries | - |