ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 198962
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| Date: | Tuesday 23 February 2016 |
| Time: | 11:45 |
| Type: |  Robinson R66 |
| Owner/operator: | Robinson Helicopter Co |
| Registration: | N266RH |
| MSN: | 0002 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2009 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 400 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce 250-C300/A1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Torrance, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | Torrance, CA (TOA) |
| Torrance, CA (TOA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot was performing company flight testing in the helicopter. After performing an air taxi and a hovering autorotation, the pilot conducted a simulated maximum performance takeoff. About 200 ft above ground level, the pilot heard a noise and felt a momentary helicopter vibration. He subsequently performed a precautionary autorotation to a grass area on airport property. The pilot stated that the helicopter had forward speed during the landing and that the grass was soft; as a result, the helicopter entered a fore-aft rocking motion after touchdown, and the main rotor contacted the tail boom, resulting in substantial damage.
Postaccident review of data from the engine monitoring unit revealed no anomalies, and an examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation; therefore, the reason for the noise and vibration could not be determined.
Probable Cause: A vibration of the helicopter, which resulted in an autorotation to soft terrain and subsequent impact of the tail boom with the main rotor. The reason for the vibration could not be determined because postaccident examination revealed no malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Aug-2017 16:15 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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