What happened
On 13 September 2015, a Robinson R22 Beta, registration G-TIMH, was engaged in a training session at Nottingham Heliport. The flight crew, consisting of an instructor and a student, were performing exercises designed to practice engine failure procedures while in a hover. While the initial attempts were successful, the final maneuver involved a left turn of approximately 100 degrees, which resulted in a heavy landing where both skids contacted the ground simultaneously.
Immediately following the impact, the instructor transitioned the aircraft back into a hover to check for any mechanical irregularities. No unusual noises or vibrations were detected, and the training session proceeded as planned. After the flight, the instructor performed a standard post-flight inspection, checking the cooling fan and the lower cross tube for signs of impact or deformation. No damage was identified during this initial assessment.
The investigation
Following a subsequent training flight, the instructor noticed an unusual reflection of sunlight coming from the forward section of the tailcone. A more detailed inspection of the aircraft was then conducted, which uncovered damage to the engine firewall and the cabin floor. Investigators determined that this damage had occurred during the heavy landing earlier that day.
Findings
- The damage to the tailcone, cabin floor, and engine firewall was caused by the heavy landing during the engine failure practice.
- The black colour scheme of the aircraft likely contributed to the difficulty of detecting the damage during the first post-flight inspection.
- The instructor noted that a delayed reaction to an incorrect yaw pedal input by the student contributed to the heavy landing.