ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 14030
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| Date: | Wednesday 11 November 1981 |
| Time: | 15:23 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 |
| Owner/operator: | Cheyenne Aviation Inc |
| Registration: | N9073Q |
| MSN: | 0227 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1981 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 4 miles NNW of Livermore Airport, Livermore, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Livermore Airport, California (LVK/KLVK) |
| Livermore Airport, California (LVK/KLVK) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On November 11, 1981, about 15:23 PST (Pacific Standard Time), N9073Q, a Robinson R22, operated by Cheyenne Aviation, Inc., crashed 4 miles North-North-West of Livermore, California, during an instructional flight. The flight had departed Livermore Airport to the north and was last observed about 500 feet above ground level (agl), 4 miles north-northwest of the airport. A witness reported that the weather was visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with 15 miles visibility and calm winds.
Witnesses observed the helicopter begin a shallow right turn when they heard a loud noise after which the tail boom and one main rotor blade separated. According to the witnesses, the helicopter then began turning rapidly, and crashed to the ground. The fuselage and landing skids were destroyed by impact and post impact fire damage. The tail boom and main rotor blade were located along the wreckage path about 710 feet from the main wreckage.
The flight instructor held an airline transport pilot certificate and an instructor's certificate with an endorsement for rotor craft-helicopters. He had a total of 12,200 hours of flight experience, 1,040 of which were in helicopters and 750 in the R22 helicopter. The student held a private pilot certificate, with an endorsement for multi-engine land airplanes. He had no previous helicopter experience.
The Safety Board found the mast separated and bent approximately 10 degrees, 8 inches above the transmission splines. One main rotor blade had separated about 18 inches outboard of the coning hinge, and the outboard section of the blade was bent upward and aft. The other main rotor blade was bent upward about 90 degrees, and the outboard spar was bent aft.
The tail boom exhibited evidence that a main rotor blade had intersected it just aft of the rotating beacon. The forward tail boom section was crushed and deformed, and had separated at the forward and aft manufacturing rivet
lines. In addition, both tail rotor blades had separated from the hub about 3 inches outboard of the attachment bolts. The directions of the fractures indicated that the blades had been contacted by a main rotor blade during the aft tailboom separation sequence; the fractures were typical of overload forces.
Accident investigation:
|
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: LAX82FA012 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=24121&key=0&queryId=bb818599-de8b-4425-9277-726140e7a695&pgno=1&pgsize=50
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=9073Q
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Feb-2008 12:00 | ASN archive | Added |
| 07-Feb-2016 20:39 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-May-2016 12:48 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Sep-2016 18:23 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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