Summary
On July 30, 1993, a Robinson R-22 (N549SM) was involved in an incident near Verdi, NV. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: THE INSTRUCTOR'S IMPROPER SUPERVISION OF THE FLIGHT; THE DUAL STUDENT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT DECISION TO FOLLOW ANOTHER HELICOPTER ON DEPARTURE AND THE DUAL STUDENTS DELAY IN CORRECTING THE INADVERTENT YAW. FACTORS RELATED TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE INADVERTENT ENCOUNTER WITH THE WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE PRECEDING DEPARTING HELICOPTER; THE DUAL STUDENT'S IMPROPER USE OF THE THROTTLE AND THE DUAL STUDENTS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE ROTOR RPM.
This incident is documented in NTSB report LAX93LA308. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N549SM.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE INSTRUCTOR'S IMPROPER SUPERVISION OF THE FLIGHT; THE DUAL STUDENT'S IMPROPER IN-FLIGHT DECISION TO FOLLOW ANOTHER HELICOPTER ON DEPARTURE AND THE DUAL STUDENTS DELAY IN CORRECTING THE INADVERTENT YAW. FACTORS RELATED TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE INADVERTENT ENCOUNTER WITH THE WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE PRECEDING DEPARTING HELICOPTER; THE DUAL STUDENT'S IMPROPER USE OF THE THROTTLE AND THE DUAL STUDENTS FAILURE TO MAINTAIN ADEQUATE ROTOR RPM.
Aircraft Information
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX93LA308