Robinson Helicopter Company R22 accident near Chandler, AZ
On October 1, 2021, a Robinson Helicopter Company R22 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Chandler, AZ. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- October 1, 2021
- Place
- Chandler, AZ
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter Company R22 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 33.269°N, 111.811°W
- NTSB ID
- 20211001104018
Official records · WPR22FA001
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
Air traffic control records
- Wpr22fa001 - ATC Audio: Audio recording (WAV), on ntsb.gov
- Wpr22fa001 - ATC Partial Transcript: Transcript (PDF), on ntsb.gov
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 1, 2021, about 0740 mountain standard time, a Piper PA-28-181 airplane, N2868H, and a Robinson Helicopter Company R22 helicopter, N412TL, were involved in a midair collision near Chandler, Arizona. The airplane sustained minor damage and the flight instructor and student pilot onboard were not injured. The flight instructor and student pilot onboard the helicopter were fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. Both aircraft were operated as Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flights. The flight instructor and student on board the airplane requested and received clearance from the tower controller to perform takeoffs and landings from runway 4L, remaining in the airport traffic pattern. After completing three touch-and-go landings, the tower controller instructed the airplane to switch to runway 4R and issued a frequency change. The instructor and student continued to perform touch-and-go takeoffs and landings from runway 4R, and the instructor recalled the controller requesting that the airplane extend their crosswind leg for helicopter traffic during one of their patterns. During the accident approach, the airplane was cleared for landing behind a twin-engine airplane. The instructor stated that he scanned the area for traffic, and abeam the runway numbers on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern, reduced engine power to idle to simulate a loss of engine power. On final approach for landing, the instructor took control of the airplane to demonstrate a slip and they heard and felt a loud bang. The instructor dec
Probable cause
The failure of the pilots onboard the airplane to see and avoid the helicopter while maneuvering in the traffic pattern, which resulted in a midair collision.
More accidents in AZ
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Browse: Arizona · Robinson aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
