Aircraft Information
The accident aircraft was a Robinson R22 Beta, registration G-OTOY, with a single Lycoming O-320-B2C piston engine. It was manufactured in 1988.
History of the Flight
On 28 April 2008 at 1600 UTC, at Wellesbourne Airfield, Warwickshire, the runway in use was Runway 23, with wind from 210–230° at 8–12 kt. A training flight was being conducted with an instructor and a student pilot. The student pilot, aged 53, held no pilot licence and had 41 hours total flying experience, of which 14 hours were on the Robinson R22 type.
Prior to the accident flight, the instructor had completed an instructional sortie during which he highlighted and demonstrated the extra power required to taxi and transition downwind. The instructor then briefed the student for solo circuits and hovering practice before vacating the helicopter with the rotors running. The student lifted into a hover and began hover taxiing at a slow speed toward the helicopter training area at approximately 6 ft above ground level.
After crossing Runway 23, the instructor observed the helicopter turn downwind and descend. The helicopter bounced twice on the grass before touching down for a third time. As it touched down, the skids dug into the ground, causing the helicopter to tip over and the rotors to impact the ground. The student vacated the helicopter with a small cut to his head. The helicopter sustained damage beyond economic repair.
Student Pilot Account
The student stated that during the hover taxi, the nose of the helicopter rose. He overcorrected this with cyclic control, causing the helicopter to turn left downwind. He attempted to correct with right pedal, but the helicopter lost height and dug into the soft ground before tipping over.
Instructor Account
The instructor stated that the student offered no explanation as to why the helicopter descended unchecked during the hover taxi.