N25862

On November 13, 2000, about 1445 Eastern Standard Time, a Robinson R22-B, N25862, was substantially damaged while landing near Babylon, New York. The certificated flight instructor and student pilot were not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.

The instructor stated that he and the student departed Long Island Mac Arthur Airport (ISP), Long Island, New York, about 1345. They flew to a practice landing area along the south shore of Long Island, and the student performed two takeoffs and landings to an island. The instructor felt that the student performed very well during the two landings, so the instructor completely relinquished the controls to the student for the third landing.

During the third landing, the instructor thought that the student would raise the collective to reduce the rate of descent. However, the student never raised the collective, and the helicopter landed hard. The helicopter then rolled over on its left side, and sustained substantial damage to the skids, tailboom, and fuselage.

Examination of the wreckage by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector did not reveal any pre-impact mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilots report any.