Incident Overview
On 31 July 2005 at 1320Z, a Robinson R22 Beta registered ZS-HXS was involved in an incident at Grootvlei (S26° 46’ E028° 38’). The private flight originated from Rand Aerodrome (FAGM) and was intended to land at a private aerodrome. The aircraft had two persons on board; neither was injured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the cross tubes, skids, and lower fuselage. Weather conditions were fine with light and variable winds, temperature 17°C-20°C, and CAVOK visibility.
Sequence of Events
According to the pilot, at approximately 1315Z he joined overhead the farm and circled three times. At approximately 10 feet above ground level, the pilot’s door flung open. He requested the passenger to close the door. Two seconds later, the low rotor RPM audio warning sounded. The pilot attempted to recover rotor RPM by lowering the collective and adjusting the throttle, but without success. The aircraft sank rapidly, resulting in a hard landing.
Aircraft Information
The Robinson R22 Beta (ZS-HXS) had accumulated 3127.7 airframe hours at the time of the incident. The last MPI was on 20 June 2005 at 3093.7 hours, with 34 hours flown since. The aircraft had valid certificates of airworthiness and registration, and all applicable ADs and SBs were complied with. The AMO maintaining the aircraft had no major findings in the last audit.
Probable Cause
The probable cause was that the pilot allowed the RPM to decay during approach for a landing, resulting in a hard landing. A contributing factor was the pilot's attention being diverted and tensed when the door opened.