Robinson R22 N404TB
23 September 2017 · Clearwater, Florida, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 23 September 2017 at about 21:02 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N404TB was involved in an accident near Clearwater, Florida, United States. 3 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.
The record
- Date
- at 21:02
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Clearwater, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- Clearwater Air Park (CLW)
- Coordinates
- 27.9772, -82.7592
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22
- Registration
- N404TB
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2005
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Clearwater → Clearwater
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA17LA332
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Probable cause
The airplane pilot's inadequate visual lookout, which resulted in an in-flight collision with a helicopter. Contributing to the accident was the airplane pilot's failure to adequately transmit his position while operating in the airport traffic pattern.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A private pilot in a fixed-wing airplane was landing at the airport following a personal flight, and a flight instructor and a pilot receiving instruction were conducting a flight review in a helicopter and practicing maneuvers in the airport traffic pattern. The instructor reported that he or the pilot receiving instruction made radio calls on the common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) before each turn in the pattern. When the helicopter was 1 mile from the runway, the pilot receiving instruction turned the helicopter onto final approach. After completing a steep approach, the pilot receiving instruction brought the helicopter into a hover about 15 ft above the runway threshold. The airplane pilot stated that he heard a heavy buzzing sound on the CTAF, like a helicopter rotor, and a barely distinguishable word; he scanned for traffic and declared being on downwind. The airplane pilot quickly turned to the base leg of the traffic pattern and then proceeded to land; the airplane then struck the helicopter from behind as the airplane landed on the same runway as the helicopter. The pilots of both aircraft reported scanning for traffic; however, the airplane pilot reported that he did not see the helicopter until about 2 seconds before the collision, while the flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction in the helicopter did not see the airplane before the collision, as the helicopter was oriented down the runway with its tail pointed toward the runway's approach end. Given that the airplane struck the helicopter from behind while landing, it is unlikely that the helicopter pilots were in a position to see and take action to avoid the airplane. Conversely, because of the airplane's position, the airplane pilot had the best opportunity to see and take action to avoid the helicopter. Postaccident examinations of the radio communication systems in the airplane and helicopter did not reveal any anomalies. The instructor in the helicopter indicated that radio calls were made during every turn while the helicopter was in the airport traffic pattern. The airplane pilot indicated that he was operating on the CTAF and that he was confident his calls on the radio were heard. However, the pilot of another airplane who was about 2 miles west of the airport and was monitoring the airport's CTAF recalled hearing a radio call from the helicopter announcing that it was on a 1-mile final approach to the runway at 500 ft but did not recall hearing any transmissions from the airplane. Thus, given that the airplane pilot's transmissions were not heard, it is likely that he did not adequately transmit the airplane's position while in the airport traffic pattern.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robinson R22 BETA | N404TB | - | Substantial |
| Piper PA 28R-201 201 | N1881H | - | Substantial |
Other Robinson R22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Nov 2017 | Robinson R22 BETA | Electra, Texas, United States | Carmichael Helicopter Service LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 2 Aug 2017 | Robinson R22 BETA | Cloncurry, Australia | GARLAND, Rankin Lou | Fatal | 1 |
| 20 Sep 2017 | Robinson R22 | Long Beach, California, United States | Revolution Aviation | Serious injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 2017 | Robinson R22 | Kelso, Washington, United States | Hillsboro Aero Academy | No injuries | - |
| 24 Sep 2017 | Robinson R22 | Santa Barbara, California, United States | Tumbleweed Leasing Co Inc | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 2017 | Robinson R22 BETA | San Pedro, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Mar 2017 | Cessna 172S | St Petersburg, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jun 2017 | Piper PA28 | Fort Myers, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Feb 2017 | Cessna 152 | Bonifay, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 May 2017 | Cirrus SR22 | Clearwater, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Jun 2017 | Aero Commander 200D | Panama City, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 4 Mar 2017 | Beechcraft B 60 | Duette, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |