What happened
On 5 January 2003, a Robinson R22 Beta, registration G-BXTU, was conducting a training flight at Cranfield Airport, Bedfordshire. The flight, consisting of an instructor and a student pilot, had been proceeding without incident during a one-hour session of circuit practice.
Following a successful hover taxi to the apron, the student pilot attempted a landing into light winds. After an initial aborted attempt, the student stabilized the aircraft in a hover. During the second landing attempt, the left skid made contact with the ground, followed by a small bounce on the right skid. At this moment, the student pilot applied full left pedal and fully raised the collective lever.
Despite the instructor's continuous monitoring and attempts to intervene, the student's physical strength during the maneuver prevented the instructor from overriding the inputs. This resulted in the aircraft yawing 180 degrees to the left while simultaneously rolling to the right. The aircraft struck the apron surface and came to rest on its right side, causing severe damage to the landing gear, fuselage, and main rotor system. Both crew members sustained minor injuries and evacuated the aircraft through the left door.
The investigation
The investigation was based on the aircraft accident report submitted by the pilot. Investigators examined the sequence of control inputs and the physical dynamics of the aircraft during the final seconds of the flight. The inquiry focused on the interaction between the instructor and the student pilot during the critical moment of the landing attempt and the inability of the instructor to counteract the student's sudden, forceful control movements.