Incident
On 22 December 1999 at 1547 UTC, a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter, registration G-EPAR, was involved in an accident at Blackpool Airport, Lancashire, following an instructional flight. The instructor, who held an Airline Transport Pilot's Licence and had 9,000 total flying hours (484 on type), was demonstrating the procedure for recovery from an engine failure while hover taxiing to a new student.
From a height of approximately four feet, with a 15-knot surface wind from the helicopter's 5 o'clock position, the instructor simulated an engine failure by closing the throttle. Despite applying full right yaw pedal, he was unable to prevent the helicopter from yawing to the left. The aircraft sank to the grass with forward motion and a right sideslip. The right landing skid dug into the soft ground, and the instructor could not stop the machine from rolling over onto its right side.
Airport emergency services arrived quickly, but there was no fire and neither occupant was injured. Damage to the main rotor blades, tailboom, and cockpit structure was sufficient to deem the helicopter an insurance write-off.
Aircraft and Crew
The Robinson R22 Beta (year of manufacture 1998) was powered by a single Lycoming O-360-J2A piston engine. The commander was 60 years old and had flown 54 hours in the last 90 days, with 13 hours in the last 28 days. The flight was categorized as aerial work (training), with one crew and one passenger on board.
Comments from Chief Flying Instructor
The Chief Flying Instructor explained that the R22's narrow landing gear track and unusually high main rotor system make it prone to dynamic rollover. These factors, combined with low inertia rotor blades, make demonstrating an engine-off landing while hover taxiing a high-risk manoeuvre. The risk is increased if the manoeuvre is demonstrated with a tailwind component because of the likelihood of running out of yaw pedal authority.