What happened
On 25 July 2016, a Robinson R22 Beta, registration G-CDMG, was engaged in a training flight at Manston Airport, Kent. The flight was a proficiency check involving an instructor and a qualified pilot. During the procedure, the instructor reduced the throttle to initiate an autorotation. As the aircraft descended to approximately 50 feet, the instructor opened the throttle to facilitate a power recovery.
Despite receiving verbal prompts from the instructor, the pilot being checked did not attempt to flare the helicopter. In an effort to prevent an impact, the instructor tried to intervene and perform the flare; however, the pilot had effectively frozen on the flight controls, preventing the instructor from overriding the inputs. As a result, the aircraft struck the ground in a nose-down attitude and settled on its left side. Both crew members sustained minor injuries and were able to egress the aircraft through the right-hand door.
The investigation
Investigators examined the sequence of the flight maneuvers and the physical state of the controls during the impact. The investigation established that the instructor attempted to take control of the aircraft to assist with the recovery, but was unable to do so because the pilot's grip on the controls was too rigid. The aircraft suffered a total hull loss following the impact.