N2649D

On August 28, 2006, a Robinson R22 BETA (N2649D) was involved in an incident near Frederick, MD. 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 flight instructor's delayed remedial action during a hovering autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing and inadvertent dynamic rollover.

According to the flight instructor, he and his student, a certificated airplane pilot, were practicing hovering autorotations about 3 feet above the ground. The student pilot reduced engine power to initiate the maneuver, pushed forward on the cyclic, and the helicopter descended. The flight instructor stated that he assumed cyclic control, and then the helicopter impacted the ground "fairly hard and bounced." The student pilot subsequently pulled up on the collective, the left skid remained in contact with the ground, and the helicopter rolled over on its left side. The flight instructor stated that there were no mechanical or performance deficiencies with the helicopter.

This incident is documented in NTSB report NYC06CA213. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N2649D.