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| Date: | Friday 1 February 2013 |
| Time: | 15:00 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N3059Q |
| MSN: | 4190 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2007 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1241 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-J2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Near Highways 80 and FM 119, 8 miles NE of Gillett, Texas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Karnes City, TX |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot and a passenger were conducting an aerial hunt at low altitude. The pilot said he was about 20 feet above 30-foot-tall trees and flying into the wind slowly when the tail rotor "malfunctioned" and he lost control. The helicopter started spinning to the right, and the pilot initiated an autorotation. The helicopter landed hard and rolled over on its left side. The pilot stated that he thought the helicopter had lost tail rotor authority. Examination of the tail rotor found no evidence of a tail rotor malfunction or defects that would preclude normal operation. The pilot was operating the helicopter in a low airspeed, out of ground effect, high-power-demand flight condition, which was conducive to the development of loss of tail rotor effectiveness.
Probable Cause: A loss of tail rotor effectiveness while manuevering at low altitude.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
FAA register: 2. FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=3059Q
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Feb-2013 02:24 | gerard57 | Added |
| 02-Feb-2013 08:12 | gerard57 | Updated [Registration, ] |
| 02-Feb-2013 15:47 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Location, Phase, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 12-Oct-2016 17:44 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 12-Oct-2016 17:45 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, ] |
| 12-Oct-2016 17:45 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Nature, ] |
| 12-Oct-2016 17:47 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source, ] |
| 12-Oct-2016 17:49 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
| 28-Nov-2017 14:08 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 24-Aug-2018 00:09 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, ] |
| 22-Oct-2018 17:09 | harro | Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 02-Nov-2018 15:40 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
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