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| Date: | Sunday 2 October 2022 |
| Time: | c. 15:00 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta II |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | VH-RAS |
| MSN: | 4617 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2013 |
| Engine model: | Textron Lycoming O-320-B2C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Koorda, WA -
 Australia
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Koorda Airstrip |
| Jandakot Airport, WA (JAD/YPJT) | |
| Investigating agency: | ATSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On the morning of 2 October 2022, a Robinson Helicopter Company R22 Beta II, registered VH‑RAS, departed Koorda, Western Australia for a private flight, with the pilot and one passenger on board. About 6 minutes later, the helicopter impacted terrain, inverted, about 13 km to the southwest of the departure point. The helicopter was destroyed, and both occupants were fatally injured.
Recorded flight data showed that, during cruise, the helicopter’s altitude increased by about 100 ft and then rapidly descended, almost vertically, before colliding with terrain inverted. The ATSB found that the helicopter sustained an in-flight break-up at about the time it rapidly descended. The site and wreckage examination identified signatures indicative of a low-g and/or low rotor RPM/rotor stall condition, however, the circumstances preceding this could not be determined.
Dual flight controls were fitted in a position that was occupied by the passenger. When carrying passengers, the helicopter manufacturer recommends removing the passenger‑side controls to avoid inadvertent bumping or interference.
The ATSB also found that the pilot had not disclosed their use of a prescription medication or the associated medical condition to the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. This precluded a specialist assessment of the aeromedical significance of the medication’s use and the underlying conditions for which it was prescribed.
Contributing factors
- Shortly after reaching cruise altitude, for reasons that could not be determined, it was likely that the helicopter entered a low-g and/or low rotor RPM/rotor stall condition. This, along with delayed or inappropriate control inputs, or a combination of both, resulted in extreme teetering of the main rotor assembly and subsequent in‑flight break-up.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-03/helicopter-crash-in-the-wheatbelt-claims-lives-of-two-men/101495580
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/disaster-and-emergency/wheatbelt-helicopter-crash-two-men-found-dead-in-wreckage-on-cowcowing-lake-near-koorda--c-8427178
https://cdn.jetphotos.com/full/5/73185_1455699282.jpg (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: ATSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Oct-2022 00:52 | Geno | Added |
| 03-Oct-2022 02:04 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Operator, Phase, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 03-Oct-2022 06:33 | Anon. | Updated [Departure airport] |
| 03-Oct-2022 10:56 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-May-2024 05:23 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report] |
| 27-May-2024 16:38 | Captain Adam | Updated [Location, Phase, Narrative, Category, Photo] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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