Hard landing Incident Robinson R22 Beta II N208WM,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 147772
 
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Date:Friday 17 August 2012
Time:16:42
Type:Silhouette image of generic R22 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Robinson R22 Beta II
Owner/operator:Utah Helicopter
Registration: N208WM
MSN: 4397
Year of manufacture:2008
Total airframe hrs:1708 hours
Engine model:Lycoming O-360-J2A
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Location:Spanish Fork-Springville Municipal Airport, Spanish Fork, Utah -   United States of America
Phase: Landing
Nature:Training
Departure airport:Spanish Fork-Springville Municipal Airport, Spanish Fork, Utah (SPK/KS
Destination airport:Spanish Fork-Springville Municipal Airport, Spanish Fork, Utah (SPK/KS
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
On August 17, 2012, at 16:42 MDT (Mountain Daylight Time), a Robinson R22 Beta II, N208WM, sustained substantial damage subsequent to a hard landing and rollover at the Spanish Fork-Springville Municipal Airport, Spanish Fork, Utah. The certified flight instructor (CFI) sustained serious injuries and the student pilot receiving instruction sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was registered to Zbura Helicopters, LLC, and operated by Utah Helicopters as an instructional flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight that departed Spanish Fork about 45 minutes prior the accident.

The purpose of the instructional flight was, in part, to practice autorotations. The student pilot reported that they had completed multiple straight-in autorotations followed by an autorotation from a 180-degree turn. He reported that during the turning maneuver, the main rotor RPM decayed and the helicopter's descent rate increased; the helicopter subsequently touched down hard and rolled over.

In a written statement the CFI reported they began the autorotation at 5,200 feet MSL at 65 knots. He reported the student started the maneuver by initiating a descending "hard" right turn. Shortly thereafter, the low rotor light illuminated and the low rotor horn sounded. In response, the CFI instructed the student through the maneuver by adding left cyclic and decreasing the airspeed and sink rate. He reported they recovered the horn, however, the helicopter's sink rate was excessive and he took the controls. He reported the rotor seemed as if it was not responding to inputs and the helicopter's sink rate was "pretty fast." The helicopter lost considerable altitude in the turn and unable to reach the intended touchdown point the CFI rolled the throttle "on" and flared in the short amount of distance between the helicopter and the ground. The helicopter subsequently touched down hard and rolled over.

A pair of sun glasses worn by the CFI was found at the accident site. The I-KAM XTREME Video Glasses contained a digital camera incorporated into the bride of the frame. The sunglasses were shipped to the NTSB's Vehicle Recorder Division for video and audio file extraction. Five individual files, one that captured the accident sequence, were extracted. The On Board Image Recorder Factual Report outlining the data can be found in the docket for this accident case file.

The CFI reported no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation

Probable Cause: The flight instructor’s delayed remedial action and inadequate supervision during a practice auto rotation, which resulted in a hard landing and rollover.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: WPR12LA362
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 2 years 1 month
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB
2. FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=208WM
3. http://helihub.com/2012/08/17/17-aug-12-n208wm-robinson-r22-spanish-fork-us-utah/
4. http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2012/08/helicopter-crash-at-spanish-fork.html
5. https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865560890/Two-survive-helicopter-crash-in-Utah-County.html
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Fork-Springville_Airport

Location

Media:

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
18-Aug-2012 06:15 dens69 Added
18-Aug-2012 23:53 Geno Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
19-Aug-2012 02:26 mhab Updated [Narrative]
20-Aug-2012 11:07 gerard57 Updated [Aircraft type]
12-Oct-2014 19:52 Aerossurance Updated [Source, Narrative]
26-Sep-2016 20:05 Aerossurance Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Source]
10-Oct-2016 18:06 Dr.John Smith Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
21-Dec-2016 19:28 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency]
28-Nov-2017 13:17 ASN Update Bot Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative]
28-Aug-2018 01:15 Dr.John Smith Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative]

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