N5511L

On February 13, 2012, a Robinson Helicopter R44 (N5511L) was involved in an incident near N. Charleston, SC. 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 apply power during a practice autorotation in order to arrest a high rate of descent, which resulted in an in-flight collision with terrain.

The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that after takeoff, hovering was performed followed by a practice straight-in autorotation with a planned power recovery. The autorotation was initiated between 300 and 400 feet with a 5 to 6 knot tailwind. During the descent they descended faster than anticipated and near the end of the autorotation they “…lost all our lift and started our flare to try and slow us down, but by that point we were too low and still descending sic [to] fast.” The skids hit a mound of dirt and rock which was about 6 to 8 feet above ground level, and he did not apply power, but attempted to back off the mound and turn around. Because the engine was at idle power and decreasing rotor rpm, the helicopter spun and came to rest on its left side.

This incident is documented in NTSB report ERA12CA179. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N5511L.