What happened
On March 18, 2004, at approximately 12:10 local time, a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter, registration EC-FRO, was conducting a flight training session at the Villanueva de la Cañada aerodrome in Madrid. The flight was being operated by Aérea FTO for the purpose of dual-instruction maneuvers. The crew consisted of an instructor and a student pilot.
The flight involved practicing "quick stop" maneuvers, a technique designed to transition the aircraft from normal forward airspeed to a stationary hover in the shortest time possible while maintaining altitude and heading. The procedure involves progressively reducing blade pitch via the collective while using the cyclic to maintain nose attitude and the pedals to manage yaw.
During the session, the instructor was demonstrating the maneuver, followed by a phase of joint control, and finally a phase where the student pilot was solely in command. While the student was performing the maneuver, the aircraft entered a pronounced nose-up attitude. Despite the instructor's attempts to intervene and correct the flight path, the main rotor blades struck the tail cone and subsequently impacted the ground.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the execution of the maneuver and the aircraft's attitude during the critical phase of flight. The examination of the aircraft revealed significant damage to the main rotor, the tail rotor, and the cabin. The main rotor blades remained attached to the mast, though one blade was fractured near the root and the other was heavily deformed. The rotor mast was found tilted rearward, and the tail rotor was severed from its housing, though it remained connected via the drive shaft and electrical wiring. The tail cone showed deformation, likely caused when the helicopter overturned onto its left side upon impact. The cockpit glazing was shattered, but the primary structure of the cabin remained intact.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the uncontrolled nose-up attitude during the student pilot's solo execution of the quick stop maneuver.
- The instructor was unable to regain control of the aircraft's attitude before the main rotor blades made contact with the tail cone and the ground.
- The crew successfully evacuated the aircraft following the impact without sustaining any injuries.