N404LE

On August 14, 2010, a Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA (N404LE) was involved in an incident near Mack, CO. 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 failure to maintain control of the helicopter during a practice autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing.

The certified flight instructor and his student were practicing a 180 degree autorotation with a power recovery to a hover, when the helicopter's sink rate increased dramatically in the flare about 40 feet above the ground. The flight instructor called for a go-around and increased power, raised the collective, and pushed the cyclic forward. The helicopter continued to descend and contacted the runway in a level attitude. After it came to a stop, a vibration was felt and the instructor confirmed that the main rotor blade had struck the tail boom. The instructor reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN10CA485. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N404LE.