Regulatory authorities should alter the certification requirements for light helicopter designs to reduce the risk of accidents involving loss of main rotor control, the U.K. Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) says.
The AAIB included its recommendations to the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in its final report on the Jan. 6, 2012, crash of a Robinson R22 Beta near Ely, Cambridgeshire, England.
The accident killed the 50-year-old pilot — a flight instructor in airplanes with nearly 5,000 flight hours who was trying to increase his 58 hours in helicopters so that he could earn a commercial helicopter license and a license to instruct in helicopters. The helicopter was destroyed.
The AAIB report said the cause of the accident was “main rotor divergence resulting in mast bumping” — a condition in which the main rotor hub contacts the main rotor mast. As the rotor blades continue to “flap,” each contact becomes…
