Robinson R22 BETA N268SH

Summary

On 6 April 2011 at about 18:10 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N268SH, operated by Upper Limit Aviation, was involved in an accident near Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. 2 people were on board and 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

6 April 2011 at 18:10

Classification

Accident

Location

Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Nearest airport

South Valley Regional Arpt (U42)

Coordinates

40.6278, -112.0019

Aircraft

Robinson R22 BETA

Registration

N268SH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Upper Limit Aviation

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Salt Lake City → Salt Lake City

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11CA189

1 person had minor injuries.

The student pilot's inadvertent action of pulling out the engine's mixture control lever to idle cutoff that resulted in a complete loss of engine power.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The certified flight instructor said he and his student were flying the helicopter in the traffic pattern on the downwind leg. The student pilot was flying and the instructor told him to reduce the power to begin the descent for the base turn to final. The student reduced the power by approximately 1 inch of manifold pressure. The instructor then took control of the helicopter and reduced the power by an additional 6 or 7 inches of manifold pressure. He said that the student pulled the mixture control out to the idle cutoff position, which resulted in a loss of engine power. The student had intended to apply carburetor heat and instead inadvertently moved the mixture control, which was located next to the carburetor heat. The instructor turned the helicopter 180 degrees into the wind and simultaneously entered an autorotation from 300 feet above the ground. His selected landing site turned out to be a school yard with children present. He maneuvered the helicopter to a new landing site, but subsequently landed hard. The landing skids were spread and the main rotor cut off the tail boom.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.