Robinson R22 accident near St. Jacob, Illinois, November 20, 2002
On November 20, 2002 at about 8:30 pm local time, a Robinson R22 (helicopter), registered N559DD, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Jacob, Illinois. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fatigue fracture of the clutch assembly fan shaft and the resulting complete loss of power to the rotor drive system. A contributing factor was the loss of tail rotor authority due to the secondary failure of the control tube assembly.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2002 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- St. Jacob, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 · all R22s on the register
- Registration
- N559DD · registry record · serial 3299
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter was substantially damaged when the fan shaft failed causing a loss of power to the main and tail rotors. The instructor pilot reported that while in cruise flight the clutch light flickered several times. He stated that he pulled the clutch circuit breaker, "however the noise continued to worsen and [he] suspected the drive belts were loosening." He reset the clutch circuit breaker and the clutch light illuminated steadily. The instructor pilot reported, "Immediately afterward the engine and rotor RPM needles split indicating a drive train failure, and a loud metal to metal grinding noise began." The flight crew (instructor and dual student) immediately initiated an autorotation. At the termination of the autorotation, the helicopter yawed to the left and did not respond to right pedal inputs. A post-accident examination revealed a complete failure of the fan shaft. The portion of the engine cooling fan assembly aft of the fracture point had departed the aircraft. This component was subsequently found approximately 1.2 miles south of the forced landing site. In addition, the tail rotor blade pitch push-pull tube was completely severed at the forward rod end. Extensive scraping and gouging was noted on the rod end fitting. The fan shaft, fan wheel and bearing were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory for examination. The examination noted the fan shaft was fractured in a "V"shape from a transition in shaft diameter adjacent to the bearing at the aft end, forward to the attachment bolt holes. Fracture surface features were "indicative of fatigue propagation." According to the dual student, on the delivery flight one of the drive v-belts broke and an emergency landing under partial power was made. The helicopter was repaired by Robinson technicians who replaced the drive belts and clutch actuator. A visual inspection of the fan shaft and lower bearing was completed at that time and no discrepancies were found. The fan shaft and bearing were not disassembled. Therefore, the mating surfaces of the fan shaft and bearing race were not inspected.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Flight instructor
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 4,140 hours in all; 890 in this make and model; 95 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 4,020 as pilot in command; 81 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 22, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,200 hours in all; 1,650 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 19, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 72.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 15, 2002; 65.7 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,370 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-360 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CPS Cahokia/St. Lou IL at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 290° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from CPS, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.