Robinson R-22 Beta II Tail Rotor Failure at San Fernando Airport (LV-JUD)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On June 6, 2022, at 17:34 UTC, a Robinson R-22 Beta II helicopter with registration LV-JUD was preparing for a vertical takeoff at San Fernando International Airport in the Buenos Aires province of Argentina. The aircraft was privately owned and was being operated for general aviation purposes. The pilot, holding a Transport de Línea Aérea de Helicóptero (TLH) license, had a total of 2,506.9 flight hours, with only 12 hours logged in the 90 days prior to the incident. The helicopter had not flown for approximately three months before this operation. ## Sequence of Events and Damage During the initial phase of the vertical takeoff, the pilot reported a sudden and abrupt acceleration of the engine. This was immediately followed by the detachment of one of the tail rotor blades and the onset of abnormal noises. The pilot promptly aborted the operation. The incident resulted in significant damage to the aircraft, specifically affecting the rear section of the tail cone and the tail rotor assembly. The detached tail components, including the stabilizer, transmission box, and tail rotor blades, were scattered in a radius of approximately eight meters from the aircraft. ## Investigation and Technical Findings The Argentine Transport Safety Board (Junta de Seguridad en el Transporte, JST) conducted a visual inspection of the helicopter, which revealed the complete detachment of the tail assembly. Key findings included the fracture and detachment of the transmission shaft and the tail rotor pitch change bar, the breakage of both tail rotor blades, and structural damage at the junction of the vertical stabilizer and the tail cone. No evidence was found of the main rotor blades striking the tail cone. The tail assembly was subsequently sent to the Materials Engineering Laboratory of the Argentine Aircraft Factory (FAdeA S.A.) for physicochemical, metallurgical, and fractographic analysis to determine the root cause of the failure.