What happened
On 7 July 2001, a Robinson R22 Beta, registration G-KEVN, was conducting a dual training flight at Newtownards Airfield in Northern Ireland. The flight involved an instructor and a student who had recently completed approximately seven hours of dual instruction on this aircraft type.
During the maneuver, the instructor observed that the student was over-controlling the helicopter. To demonstrate a specific hovering technique using a light grip with only the fingers and thumb, the instructor adjusted his control method. During this process, the cyclic control unexpectedly moved upward through the instructor's fingers. As the instructor attempted to recover control, the cyclic moved sharply forward, causing the aircraft to pitch nose-down. In an effort to stabilize the helicopter, the instructor raised the collective, but the aircraft struck the ground on its front left side and subsequently rolled onto its left side. The impact resulted in substantial damage to the helicopter. Both crew members sustained minor injuries and were able to exit the aircraft through the right-hand door without fire occurring.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of control inputs leading to the loss of control. The AAIB examined the actions of the crew and the physical movement of the flight controls during the demonstration of the light-grip hovering technique. The investigation established that the sudden movement of the cyclic was an inadvertent input related to the student's control of the aircraft during the instructional maneuver.