On 22 Apr 2020, a Robinson R22 BETA was involved in an aviation accident near Caldwell, ID. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The flight instructor's failure to set the proper rotor rpm during a practice autorotation, which led to his failure to maintain a proper descent rate and resulted in a hard, bounced landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A flight instructor conducting autorotation training reported a hard landing and tail boom damage after rotor rpm was set below 97% and descent did not slow.
Incident Overview
During an instructional flight focused on autorotation training, the flight instructor reported that the helicopter was configured for a maximum glide. He set the rotor rpm between 93 and 94 percent. He applied aft cyclic to reduce the rate of descent and regain rotor rpm. The rate of descent did not decrease, prompting him to increase the throttle and level the helicopter as it neared the ground. The helicopter landed hard, bounced once, and came to rest. The tail boom sustained substantial damage.
Pilot's Operating Manual Caution
The helicopter's Pilot's Operating Manual includes a caution regarding autorotation below 500 feet above ground level. It advises increasing rotor rpm to a minimum of 97 percent under such conditions.
Post-Accident Observations
The flight instructor reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter or engine that would have precluded normal operation.
Contributing factors
Descent rate — Not attained/maintainedInstructor/check pilot
Related events
Same aircraft family
20 Apr 2026 — ROBINSON R22
6 Feb 2026 — ROBINSON R22
2 Dec 2025 — ROBINSON R22
14 Oct 2025 — ROBINSON R22 BETA (ESCOLA DE AVIAÇÃO CIVIL ASAS ROTATIVAS LTDAb)