ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 192054
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| Date: | Sunday 18 December 2016 |
| Time: | 11:00 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Alpha |
| Owner/operator: | Castor Aviation Ltd |
| Registration: | N121MR |
| MSN: | 0496 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1985 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 3417 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-B2C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Hatcher Pass area, 12 miles north of Palmer, Matanuska-Susitna Borough -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Wolf Lake Airport, Palmer, Alaska (FAA LID: 4AK6) |
| Wolf Lake Airport, Palmer, Alaska (FAA LID: 4AK6) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On December 18, 2016, about 11:00 AST (Alaska Standard Time), a Robinson R-22 helicopter, N121MR, sustained substantial damage during a collision with mountainous, snow-covered terrain about 12 miles north of Palmer, Alaska. The two occupants aboard, the certificated flight instructor seated in the left seat, and the private helicopter pilot seated in the right seat, sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was registered to, and operated by, Castor Aviation Ltd. of Wasilla, Alaska, as a visual flight rules (VFR) instructional flight under the provision of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan was filed. The flight originated from the Wolf Lake Airport, Palmer, at 1002.
During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator-in-charge (IIC) on December 18, the flight instructor stated that he was providing flight instruction to the private pilot who was working towards a commercial helicopter pilot certificate. He added that at the time of the accident, they were practising pinnacle landings to an area of remote, snow-covered mountainous terrain in the Hatcher Pass Management Area.
The flight instructor stated that he was providing flight instruction to the private pilot, practising pinnacle landings to an area of remote, snow-covered mountainous terrain. The flight instructor said that just before the accident, the private pilot accomplished two successful pinnacle landings. After a third pinnacle landing site was selected, a gravel-covered site on a mountain ridge line, the private pilot circled the site several times for reconnaissance. He reported that as the helicopter neared the site, about 10 to 20 feet above the surface, he realised that it had a steep uphill grade making the site unsuitable for landing. He explained that, as he was getting ready to tell the private pilot to initiate a go-around, the low rotor revolutions per minute (RPM) warning light and horn activated. The private pilot reported that when the low rotor RPM warning light and horn activated, he observed the gauge indicated about 90 percent RPM.
The flight instructor then took control of the helicopter, attempting to maneuver it to the right and towards the predetermined escape route, but it descended and the skids subsequently struck the uneven terrain. He said that after the initial collision, he increased collective pitch and applied right cyclic, but it began to spin to the right, while descending. The helicopter continued to spin, while descending, and it subsequently struck an area of steep, snow-covered terrain. The helicopter then rolled downhill multiple times before coming to rest in an area of steep, snow-covered terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain main rotor revolutions per minute (RPM) during a pinnacle landing, which resulted in a main rotor stall condition, a loss of control, and a subsequent impact with terrain. A contributing factor was the flight instructor's failure to monitor the main rotor RPM during the pinnacle landing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
2. FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=121MR
3. http://www.kathrynsreport.com/2016/12/robinson-r-22-accident-occurred.html
4. http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Two-injured-in-Helicopter-crash-in-Hatcher-Pass-407368895.html
5. https://www.reddit.com/r/NTSB_database/comments/5pw0nm/nonfatal_12182016_robinson_helicopter_r22_palmer/
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 21 April 2012 | N121MR | Castor Aviation | 0 | 12 miles North of Palmer, Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska | |
w/o |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Dec-2016 04:37 | Geno | Added |
| 19-Dec-2016 10:48 | Chieftain | Updated [Source] |
| 07-Feb-2018 13:50 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 14-Aug-2018 19:32 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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