Robinson R22 N8560M

Summary

On 1 December 2015 at about 20:30 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N8560M was involved in an accident near Venice, Florida, 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

1 December 2015 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Venice, Florida, United States

Coordinates

27.1000, -82.4333

Aircraft

Robinson R22

Registration

N8560M

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1985

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Venice → Venice

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA16LA055

1 person was seriously injured.

The flight instructor's failure to maintain control of the helicopter during an autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor was preparing the pilot for her commercial rotorcraft-helicopter practical test. The instructor stated that they were returning to the airport when the engine shut down. The instructor entered an autorotation, which terminated in a hard landing. The instructor stated that he assumed the pilot pulled the mixture control instead of the carburetor heat because he saw it pulled after the helicopter came to a full stop on the ground; however, he never actually saw her pull the mixture control. The pilot stated that the instructor rolled the throttle to idle to simulate an in-flight loss of engine power as part of her checkride preparation. Both she and the instructor were operating the controls for the autorotation. The pilot said she was not sure what happened, but they landed hard and a section of windscreen popped out. She then pulled the mixture to shut off the engine, while the instructor used the rotor brake to stop the main rotor blades. The pilot exited the helicopter to recover the windshield and was subsequently struck in the head by a main rotor blade. Although the instructor's and pilot's accounts varied regarding the events leading up to the autorotation, they both reported that the autorotation ended in a hard landing, and that there were no mechanical issues with the helicopter or the engine that contributed to the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.