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ERA21LA117

2021-01-26 · West Palm Beach, Florida, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport LNA

Current FAA registration · N474AT

Make / Model
ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA
Year of manufacture
1998 · 23 years old at event
Engine
LYCOMING O&VO-360 SER (180 hp)
Seats / Engines
2 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19981112
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A5D008

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The examiner’s failure to arrest the helicopter descent during a simulated engine failure maneuver and the flight instructor’s inadequate remedial action, which resulted in a hard landing.

Factual narrative

The purpose of the flight was for the examiner to conduct an examination of the assistant chief flight instructor applicant in a helicopter. The last maneuver that they were testing for the day was an engine failure on takeoff. The examiner assumed control of the helicopter from the flight instructor and began the takeoff. He asked the flight instructor to guard the flight controls before he announced a simulated engine failure and initiated the glide phase of the autorotation. When the examiner attempted to arrest the rate of descent by increasing engine power, he was unable to stop the helicopter prior to it impacting the ground. During the landing the helicopter’s skids and fuselage were substantially damaged. The pilots reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent rate-Not attained/maintained
  • — Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Designated examiner
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Delayed action-Instructor/check pilot

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2021_ERA21LA117.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (engine failure). All research papers