View Full Version : R-22 crash in Arizona kills two
SASless
23rd Feb 2006, 02:32
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/pics/breaking/0222az-copte.jpg
The female passenger was said to be taking her first Air Experience ride. This is becoming altogether a too common event....Robbies killing folks.:{
warpig
23rd Feb 2006, 03:43
its not robbies killing people . its pilots in most cases, not making myself out to be perfect but which is more likely to fail, machine or man. ive had my share of close calls in and out of robinsons and none of them were mechanical. if 206's were used as much as robbies for initial training than they would have alot more accidents.
funfinn2000
23rd Feb 2006, 04:52
The R22 is an aircraft that demands respect, the Sfar says ya need 50 hrs to teach in it . the trouble is some pilots do their IR in it to get most of their 50 hrs and then they go off and teach in it and they either overspeed the thing to hell get killed . cos of the lack of VFR training and manuevers . I've noticed this in some places .
The machine it self is very realiable .
it's the best selling helicopter in the world ,of course there's gona be more accidents .
mikelimapapa
23rd Feb 2006, 05:06
I'd have to agree with warpig. The school I attend operates both schweizers and R22's. We have had a few 300's crash in the last six months, yet not one robbie. Therefore, it would lead me to believe that accident rates have more to do with hours flown, than type of aircraft. Another factor would have to be that we don't practice full downs in the robbie, and this is where the majority of accidents occur. My condolences go out to the family and friends of the two people that lost their lives, especially since the woman never got to experience the joy of flying.
Mike
TiPwEiGhT
23rd Feb 2006, 10:41
Does anybody know what happened in this particular accident?
RIP to all on board...
TiP:(
Note that the main rotor is still attached, little evidence in photo of rotation at impact in spite of nearby obstacles (blade straight in horizontal plane), helicopter fuselage level & intact. AND looking closely at the nearer of the two blades, it's bent in the vertical plane: the tip is bent upward--suggesting that it struck the ground on impact and the unsupported middle of the blade bent downward (after which the whole thing rebounded back from ground contact, as it now shows in photo).
Ergo: straight-down fall with no flare or cushioning.
RHC has video of Brit R22 descending with rotor hardly turning; once stalled (<70% & high descent rate) those pesky rotor blades have no incentive whatsoever to continue to turn (except the engine, which might not be equal to the task by that point).
Implies a botched autorotation demonstration.
(If so, another needless fatal accident; one hopes most intro rides do not include scaring prospective customers with even a successful autorotation!)
But only a guess.
Vfrpilotpb
24th Feb 2006, 16:14
I feel I have to agree with Pa42, it does seem to have been an almost vertical fall onto terra firma, any sign of forward motion would have caused a slightly different looking wreck.
Sad for both occupants but very sad for the young lady in question, pilot may have had some sort of syndrome like " Watch this"
Vfr