AAIB investigation to Robinson R22 Beta, G-EFON
Tail rotor struck ground during lift off at Retford Gamston Airport, on 25 February 2016.
Summary:
The student pilot was preparing to lift off for a solo flight. Having completed the magneto checks he increased the throttle but, as the governor engaged, the helicopter adopted a nose-high attitude and the tailskid and tail rotor struck the ground, crumpling the former and destroying both tail rotor blades. The helicopter rotated around the rear of the skids in a clockwise direction at least once before the pilot settled it back down onto its skids and shut down.
The pilot believes that he had inadvertently held aft cyclic stick and some raised collective input as the governor cut in and increased power, causing the helicopter to pitch up.
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Published 12 May 2016