Loss of Control of a Robinson R22 Beta II During a Training Flight in Romania (YR-DEN)

Event Overview and Aircraft Details On 18 November 2022, a Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter, registration YR-DEN, was involved in an accident near Săcălaz village in Timiș County, Romania. The aircraft was owned and operated by SC FLY COMPANY SRL. The helicopter, manufactured in 2007 with serial number 4108, had a total flight time of 4,200 hours and was equipped with a valid airworthiness certificate. It was not fitted with a flight data recorder. ## Flight History and Circumstances The helicopter was conducting a scheduled training flight in the area of the CIOCA flight terrain. The flight included climbing and descending turns, speed limit exercises, simulated landing paths, and hovering outside of ground effect. At 08:35 local time, while on a heading of 270 degrees at 500 feet, the instructor pilot was demonstrating a hovering maneuver. At low speed, the helicopter entered a vortex ring state and began a rapid descent. ## Impact and Damage Recovery attempts were unsuccessful, and the helicopter impacted wet and soft ground. The left skid sank into the soil, causing the helicopter to bank left and the main rotor blades to strike the ground. One main rotor blade was displaced from its rotation plane, struck the tail boom, and caused the cabin to rotate approximately 45 degrees from its initial position. The helicopter sustained major damage. ## Personnel and Outcome The two occupants—an instructor pilot aged 60 with approximately 5,000 flight hours and a student pilot aged 37 with 45 flight hours—exited the helicopter unharmed and did not require medical assistance. The accident was investigated by the Civil Aviation Safety Investigation and Analysis Authority (AIAS) under Romanian and European regulations. The investigation focused on determining the causes and circumstances to prevent future accidents, without assigning blame or legal liability.