N7185K

On June 16, 2003, about 1655 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R22 BETA, N7185K, operated by Orlando Flight Training and registered to an individual, touched down while yawing during an instructional flight near Kissimmee, Florida. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. The helicopter was substantially damaged, and the certified flight instructor (CFI) and student pilot were not injured. There were no injuries to anyone on the ground. The flight was originating at the time of occurrence.

The CFI stated that his student was having difficulty performing hovering auto-rotations, and they were practicing the maneuver. After about four executions of the maneuver, while hovering about 2 feet above the ground at the practice area, the student applied left anti-torque pedal instead of right input when he reduced engine power to begin the maneuver. The CFI later reported he had his right foot over the right anti-torque pedal to confirm correct input by the student, but he was unable to prevent or correct the incorrect input from the student as quickly as he should have done. The helicopter started to spin to the left and while descending, the aft portion of the left skid dug in to the soft soil and the helicopter stopped spinning immediately. A vibration followed the landing; he disengaged the clutch and secured the engine then exited the helicopter. Postaccident inspection of the helicopter by him revealed the tail boom was substantially damaged.

The student pilot stated that he was practicing the autorotation maneuver at the practice area with his flight instructor. On his third or fourth attempt of performing the maneuver, the helicopter spun to the left and contacted the ground. His flight instructor later told him that he applied left anti-torque pedal instead of right pedal, causing the helicopter to spin to the left at an unusual rate in autorotation.