Robinson R-22 BETA II N453SH

Summary

On 13 August 2007 at about 18:10 local time, a Robinson R-22 BETA II registered N453SH, operated by Silver State Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Tucson, Arizona, 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.

Date

13 August 2007 at 18:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Tucson, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

31.7989, -110.6025

Aircraft

Robinson R-22 BETA II

Registration

N453SH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Silver State Helicopters

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tucson → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA07CA233

Nobody was injured.

The student pilot's failure to maintain rotor RPM during landing approach, and the delayed remedial action by the flight instructor. A contributing factor was the high density altitude weather condition.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor reported that he was on a cross-country training flight with a student. He said the student was performing an off airport landing where the elevation was 4,500 feet mean sea level (msl); the density altitude was reported to be 7,300 feet msl. The flight instructor said that as the helicopter approached the landing site, it began to yaw right, and the left pedal was ineffective. He took control of the aircraft, and noticed that the main rotor RPM was low. He lowered the collective slightly and rolled on additional throttle. The flight instructor said that the left pedal would still not turn the helicopter into the wind. He lowered the collective again, allowed the helicopter to settle, and then pulled collective to cushion the landing. The main rotor contacted the terrain and mesquite shrub. The aircraft came to rest on its left side, facing the direction from which it came, and the tail boom was separated from the fuselage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.