History of the Flight
The helicopter, a Robinson R22 Beta registered G-ODJB, was operated by a student pilot under the supervision of an instructor on a training exercise focused on hovering and hover-taxiing. After an initial one-hour training detail, the helicopter was hover-taxied to the parking area and shut down for a break of approximately 30 minutes. A second similar training exercise followed.
During the second exercise, the student hover-taxied the helicopter towards the Runway 09 threshold, with the instructor following through on the controls. After about 15 minutes, they repositioned to the grass area south of the runway. At the time of the accident, the student was hover-taxiing slowly downwind at a height of about 5 feet, while the instructor continued to follow through on the controls.
Accident Sequence
The student began over-controlling the helicopter and, without warning, made a sudden large forward cyclic control input. Before the instructor could intervene, the helicopter adopted a pronounced nose-down attitude, and the front of the skids struck the ground. The helicopter then rolled onto its left side, sustaining considerable damage. Both occupants were able to exit the helicopter unassisted. One crew member sustained minor injuries.
Wind Conditions
The surface wind at the time of the accident was reported as 030° at 15 knots and also as 030° at 10 to 20 knots.
Certification and Comments
The Robinson R22 is certificated to requirements that call for controllability to be demonstrated in a 17-knot wind from any direction. Although the wind speed at the time was below this figure, hover-taxiing light helicopters in a 15-knot tailwind can be a demanding exercise for students. The student's sudden application of forward cyclic control gave the instructor little time to intervene, and he was unable to prevent the helicopter from striking the ground.