Here is the reference to the interview with Jim Hall of the NTSB. I was under the impression that it would provide greater detail. For those of you that are not aware, Jim hall has resigned from the NTSB.
December 12, 2000
Watsonville helicopter crash sparks probe
By MARINA MALIKOFF
Sentinel staff writer
Federal safety officials are investigating why an increasing number of people are dying in Robinson helicopter crashes.
The helicopter was the subject of a Sentinel investigation earlier this year after an R22 broke up in mid-air over Watsonville Aug. 18, killing Aptos pilot Kent Reinhard, 57, and his student, Gary Sefton, 46, of Hollister. The two died when the main rotor blade ripped through the cockpit, plunging the aircraft into a plowed field, where it caught fire.
Though federal officials at the time denied there had been recent similar crashes, a Sentinel search of the National Transportation Safety Board accident database uncovered three other deaths in R22 accidents linked to main rotor troubles.
"I guess if my brother’s death and the death of his student can contribute something to find what is wrong so that it can be corrected, it will be wonderful," said Reinhard’s sister, Jean Grace, a two-time mayor of Carmel.
After the accident, an NTSB spokeswoman said there had not been any similar crashes since 1995.
But in an interview Monday, board Chairman Jim Hall said the agency has documented a spike in the number of R22 helicopter fatalities, significant enough to resuscitate an investigation begun in 1994.
"Lately we have seen an increase in the Robinson accident rates," Hall said from his Washington, D.C., office. "We are looking for trends that might indicate a safety issue."
Board spokeswoman Lauren Peduzzi declined to elaborate, saying more information would be available within a month.
The probe comes as the agile, two-seater R22s are being produced and flown in record numbers worldwide, which could be a factor in the accident-rate increase.
Frank Robinson, founder of the family operated helicopter company, said Monday he was aware of the escalating accident rate, but maintains the Torrance-based company offers an extensive safety course and that most crashes are caused by pilot error.
"We are reissuing several safety notices to again get (pilot and student) attention," Robinson said. "There is nothing attributable to a malfunction of the helicopters."
In 1994, the NTSB launched what would become a two-year study of the lightweight chopper. The results, released in 1996, documented a pattern of fatal accidents linked to the helicopter’s main rotor blades.
During the probe, Hall became so alarmed by the number of accidents — where main rotor blades slashed through cockpits — that he recommended the Federal Aviation Administration ground the R22 and its cousin, the heftier four-seater R44, fearing a design flaw.
They were not grounded, but the FAA issued a series of safety alerts aimed at boosting pilot training and education.
Although that appears to have temporarily lowered the accident rate, Hall said, his investigators will again consider the design of the aircraft’s unique rotor system.
"We would be foolish to not review that as part of our new review of these current accidents," Hall said.
In 1996, an estimated 1,200 Robinson helicopters were in the air, Hall said. Today, more than 4,000 R22s and R44s have been sold. The affordable stunt helicopters are popular with new pilots and purchased worldwide by flight schools.
Contact Marina Malikoff at
[email protected].
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