Probable cause
The instructor’s failure to maintain airspeed during a simulated turning autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.
NTSB analysis
The flight instructor reported that he was demonstrating a turning autorotation to his student. The instructor entered the glide, turned, and kept the engine and rotor RPM gauges in the green arc, while maintaining an airspeed of about 55 knots. He increased the throttle setting and raised the collective lever as the helicopter descended through 200 ft AGL, however, the rotor RPMs fell below the green arc. The instructor made the decision to continue the autorotation with ground contact and applied aft cyclic to reduce the decent rate. The helicopter landed hard and nosed over onto its right side, resulting in substantial damage to the tailboom and tail rotor assembly. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR23LA265 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Jul 8, 2023
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Emmett, Idaho
- Highest injury
- Minor
- Minor injuries
- 2
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA
- N-number
- N74778
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2005
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 91 (general aviation)
- Purpose of flight
- Instructional
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.