Early R22 accidents
Hi MM,
Here is some info on the early accident history of the R22 and a little informed(?) insight into the Cabri.
A search of the US NTSB database shows that the first recorded accident for an R22, post certification, was in May 1980 and claimed two lives.
The next nine R22 accidents claimed a further four lives.
The next ten R22 accidents claimed seven lives.
Things improved with the next ten accidents as no lives were lost.
The next ten accidents went on to claim five lives.
A variety of probable causes are listed with failure to maintain RRPM and Main Rotor Divergence being prominent.
Having owned five Robinsons over 22 years I did consider my self somewhat high risk in switching to the Cabri. Not because the Cabri is at all difficult to fly, it's a delight, but it is different from Robinsons. More on this later.
The two most obvious differences being the direction of rotor rotation and the fenestron.
Attending the RHC factory safety course in 1994, Frank Robinson acknowledged that the course was born out of the early R22 accident record where many instructors were ex military and failed to appreciate the characteristics of a light helicopter as against a Huey, for instance.
The R22 itself improved with the later addition of a Governor, although this was optional at first. Training too improved, no doubt helped along by SFAR-73.
The majority of Cabri accidents have had Instructors on board and sometimes two. Some of the Cabri accidents have involved misunderstanding and mishandling of the fenestron.
This brings me back to considering myself a high risk Cabri pilot. Just as with driving a car there are certain frequent actions where you develop muscle memory. In a helicopter one of these is the application of additional anti torque pedal when losing translational lift and applying power to bring the helicopter into the hover.
In my R44, muscle memory applied just the right amount of left pedal.
The Cabri required me to develop a new muscle memory, not just because of using the right pedal but because of the larger pedal movement required due to the fenestron thrust not being directly proportional to pedal movement.
The chances are that low hours Cabri instructors will also be high hours Robinson instructors and, especially if switching types between consecutive flights, have been known to get muddled and fail to apply sufficient right pedal. Some UK Flight Schools now prohibit low hours Cabri Instructors from switching back and forth to other types on the same day until they have accumalated a substantial number of Cabri hours.
The Cabri POH now includes a section on the fenestron characteristics with advice on handling and appreciation of the non linear thrust characteristics are also now taught as part of the syllabus, at least here in the UK.
Since the R22 was certified in 1979 the number of cars in the UK has roughly doubled yet in car fatalities have dropped from 2,429 to 785 in 2013. No doubt there are a number of contributory factors but higher car safety standards will have played a major role.
The inherent safety of a 21st Century helicopter certified to 21st Century standards played a large part in my decision to abandon my choice of more than twenty years and move to the Cabri.
Taking a final look at searchable databases, the UK fleet of R22 now stands at 148, down from circa 200 in 2008 and the last factory new R22 to be put on the UK register was in 2007. There are currently 14 Cabri on the UK register and, I understand, a further 10 on order. Hmmm.