What happened
On 19 February 2019, a Robinson R22 Beta, registration G-PERE, was conducting a training flight near East Lound, Doncaster. The flight was part of a circuit training session for a student working towards a Helicopter Private Pilot’s License (PPL(H)). Due to heavy traffic at the Doncaster base, the instructor moved the session to a nearby grass airstrip.
After completing five circuits, the aircraft landed to allow for a debrief. During the subsequent takeoff, the student pilot took control. As the aircraft became light on its skids, it began to roll slightly to the following right. The student attempted to correct this by maintaining collective height and applying left cyclic, but these inputs were insufficient. The student then abruptly applied full left pedal. This caused the helicopter to yaw left and lift onto the rear of the skids. The front right portion of the skid caught the ground, causing the aircraft to roll onto its right side, resulting in extensive damage.
Both crew members exited the aircraft without injury.
The investigation
The investigation examined the sequence of control inputs and the mechanics of the roll. The commander noted that the entire event, from the moment the left pedal was applied to the final rollover, lasted roughly two seconds, leaving insufficient time for the instructor to intervene. The investigation also considered the student's recent transition into fixed-wing flight training and the instructor's level of readiness during the lift-off phase.
Findings
- The primary cause of the accident was the student pilot's application of full left pedal in response to a right roll, which triggered a dynamic rollover.
- The instructor was unable to react in time to counteract the sudden pedal input.
- The instructor noted that a sense of relaxation due to the student's recent good performance may have resulted in being less prepared to intervene during the hover transition.