Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Sacramento, California 95822
Monday, April 27, 1998 17:55 PDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The instructor and student were performing an autorotation with both pilots on the controls. As the power recovery progressed the aircraft continued to descend. The aircraft contacted the ground and slid into soft mud. The toes of the skids sunk into the ground and the aircraft rocked forward onto its nose and then fell on its right side. Both the instructor and student were able to exit the aircraft through the left cabin door without assistance. The instructor attributed the unintended descent to high temperature and humidity near the surface. According to the manufacturer, Robinson Helicopter Safety Notice SN-22 was issued in 1986 and revised in 1994. The document states that rate of descent, trim, and airspeed are also factors that effect the aircraft's ability to transition to a hover. By not reducing the rate of descent but instead reducing forward airspeed and then raising collective and attempting to flare to stop the rate of descent, the aircraft flares in its own downwash. This sequence increases the power and collective pitch required to arrest the descent. The aircraft begins to enter the vortex ring state and a hard landing occurs. This can occur during a steep, power off approach.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
the CFI's failure to follow procedures and directives, and the use of an improper technique to transition from an autorotative descent to a hover, which exceeded the aircraft's performance capabilities and resulted in a unplanned hard landing. The soft terrain was a factor in the nose over and rollover.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 4/27/1998 |
| Event Day of the Week | Monday |
| Time of Event | 1755 |
| Event Time Zone | Pacific Daylight Time |
| Event City | SACRAMENTO |
| Event State | CALIFORNIA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 95822 |
| Event Date Year | 1998 |
| Event Date Month | 4 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | -- |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Pilot |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Clear |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 29 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Calm |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 2 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 1814 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Apr 28 1998 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 1755 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 11 2000 11:09AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N805EH |
| NTSB Number | LAX98LA146 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | Robinson |
| Aircraft Model | R-22 BETA |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | R-22 BETA |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 1907 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1370 |
| Aircraft Category | Helicopter |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 2 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | 100 Hour |
| Date of Last Inspection | Apr 17 1998 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 18 |
| Airframe Hours | 5529 |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE HELICOPTE |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | 6107 FREEPORT BOULEVARD |
| Aircraft Owner City | SACRAMNETO |
| Aircraft Owner State | CA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 95822 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Instructional |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | 0O5 |
| Departure City | DAVIS |
| Departure State | CA |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1730 |
| Departure Time Zone | PDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | SAC |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | CA |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Landing |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 0 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |