Accident
On August 17, 2012, at 1642 mountain daylight time, a Robinson R22 Beta II, registration N208WM, sustained substantial damage in a hard landing and rollover at the Spanish Fork-Springville Municipal Airport in Spanish Fork, Utah. The certified flight instructor (CFI) sustained serious injuries, and the student pilot receiving instruction sustained minor injuries. The helicopter was registered to Zbura Helicopters, LLC, and operated by Utah Helicopters as an instructional flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local flight, which had departed Spanish Fork about 45 minutes prior.
Flight History
The purpose of the instructional flight was, in part, to practice autorotations. According to the student pilot, they had completed multiple straight-in autorotations followed by an autorotation from a 180-degree turn. During the turning maneuver, the main rotor RPM decayed and the helicopter's descent rate increased; the helicopter subsequently touched down hard and rolled over.
In a written statement, the CFI reported that they began the autorotation at 5,200 feet MSL at 65 knots. The student started the maneuver by initiating a descending "hard" right turn. Shortly thereafter, the low rotor light illuminated and the low rotor horn sounded. In response, the CFI instructed the student through the maneuver by adding left cyclic and decreasing airspeed and sink rate. They recovered the horn, but the helicopter's sink rate was excessive, prompting the CFI to take the controls. The CFI noted that the rotor seemed unresponsive to inputs and the sink rate was "pretty fast." The helicopter lost considerable altitude in the turn and, unable to reach the intended touchdown point, the CFI rolled the throttle "on" and flared in the short distance remaining. The helicopter then touched down hard and rolled over.
Post-Accident Examination
A pair of sunglasses worn by the CFI, model I-KAM XTREME Video Glasses with an integrated digital camera, was found at the accident site. The sunglasses were shipped to the NTSB's Vehicle Recorder Division for video and audio file extraction. Five individual files were recovered, including one that captured the accident sequence. The On Board Image Recorder Factual Report is included in the docket.
Mechanical Condition
The CFI reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.