Federal eRulemaking Portal: In the mid-1980s, Robinson began development on the four-seat piston-powered R44 helicopter, which hit the market in 1993 and eventually outsold the R22. There are a few reasons this might happen: To regain access, please make sure that cookies and JavaScript are enabled before reloading the page. (3) Would not have a significant economic impact, positive or negative, on a substantial number of small entities under the criteria of the Regulatory Flexibility Act. These markup elements allow the user to see how the document follows the documents in the last year, 29 The first prototype took to the air in March 1990. In 1973, Frank D. Robinson, a former helicopter engineer for Cessna, McCulloch Aircraft and Bell Helicopters, resigned his position at Hughes Helicopters to pursue his dream of starting his own helicopter manufacturing company. In this Issue, Documents Founded in 1973 by Frank Robinson, Robinson Helicopter has since produced more than 12,000 aircraft. The ATSB recommended that the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) take further action to urge R44 owners to fit bladder-type tanks. Robinson had 310 employees at the time. 2022-14830 Filed 7-12-22; 8:45 am], updated on 4:15 PM on Monday, May 1, 2023, updated on 8:45 AM on Monday, May 1, 2023. In each model, Robinson played an integral role in the engineering and development. In July 2006, Robinson addressed the issue not by fortifying its tanks, but by trying to fireproof pilots and passengers. Robinson would also look close to home for key staff. Robinson Helicopter Company was founded in 1973 by Frank Robinson, whose vision was to produce the world's highest quality, most reliable helicopters in the most efficient, cost-effective way possible. While every effort has been made to ensure that Deliver to Mail address above between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Minutes later, as the helicopter lifted off with 40 gallons of fuel in its tanks, its rotor blades clipped a metal canopy over the fuel island. The prevailing opinion, at the time, was that helicopter market was for the military only. It eventually surfaced in a lawsuit stemming from the deaths of two Canadian men whose new R44 broke up in flight near Desert Center, Calif. Nobody had ever mentioned to me in any safety course, no Robinson helicopter pilot, no communique, no nothing had ever mentioned to me a vibration problem with the R44, Wells testified in a deposition. edition of the Federal Register. It's been a really good partnership," said Kurt. (1) Before further flight after the effective date of this AD and thereafter before each flight, check each blade at the leading edge for a crack. The lightweight piston-engine helicopter could rival the performance of its turbine-powered rivals at a fraction of the cost. FAA-2022-0872; Project Identifier AD-2022-00431-R. Concept Tested With Sikorskys Black Hawk, CTs Sikorsky and Parent Lockheed Say They Will No Longer Protest Loss of Army Helicopter Contract, Air Tourism Center Would Create New Home for Rainbow Air. 1503 & 1507. that agencies use to create their documents. that generated this analysis, visit github.com/datadesk/helicopter-accident-analysis. Nor does it retain detailed records of accidents or incidents, compile statistical data to track recurring issues or tally how many people have been killed or injured in its helicopters. The OFR/GPO partnership is committed to presenting accurate and reliable The company had documented the sort of severe vibrations that Wells experienced in a once-confidential analysis referred to in court records as the Robinson chug report. Dated Jan. 13, 2007, it was written by chief engineer Pete Riedl and detailed incidents of R44 mast-rocking from 1993 to 2006, attributing it to a fore-and-aft movement of the main rotor shaft and gearbox assembly. In the early 1970s, Robinson designed the Robinson R22 helicopter, a popular, light, two-place civilian aircraft, which later . It also issued Service Bulletin SB-78 on 20 December 2010, requiring R44 helicopters with all-aluminum fuel tanks to be retrofitted with bladder-type tanks to "improve the R44's fuel system's resistance to a post-accident fuel leak." The Robinson R44 is a four-seat light helicopter produced by Robinson Helicopter Company since 1992. Helicopters generally share a basic design: A main rotor system attached to a vertical drive shaft, or mast, provides the lift and thrust. The authority citation for part 39 continues to read as follows: Authority: Robinson was not the first person who aspired to create an affordable helicopter for personal use. [11] The TAIC report noted "Helicopters with semirigid, two-bladed main rotor systems, as used on Robinson helicopters, are particularly susceptible to mast bumping in "low-G" conditions". The R44 has been the world's best-selling general aviation (GA) helicopter every year since 1999. Copyright (c) 2022 Company-Histories.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned The agency will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact received about this proposed AD. Each document posted on the site includes a link to the ADDRESSES Though the federal government does not track the flight hours of pilots across the board, it does log the experience level of those involved in accidents. Robinson R44s were involved in 42 fatal crashes in the U.S. from 2006 to 2016, more than any other civilian helicopter, according to a Times analysis of National Transportation Safety Board accident reports. R44 helicopters that were manufactured before December of 2010, as well as all R22 helicopters, have fuel tanks that are more susceptible to rupturing than other fuel tanks. [4] Production in 2014 dropped to 329 aircraft. The cause of the cracks was determined to be a manufacturing defect in the properties of the blade skin that makes the blades prone to stress corrosion cracking. Two years later, the American Helicopter Museum received another $1 million to purchase its building in West Chester, Pennsylvania. He also argued that the vast majority of Robinson accidents are the fault of pilots not the machine and that many are students or hobbyists with little time at the controls. I look at that today and I just say 'oh my god'. The week-long course covers maintenance on all three RHC airframes the piston-powered two-place R-22 and four-place R-44, and the turbine-powered five-place R-66. He went on to work in engineering at the Cessna Aircraft Company, McCulloch Motor Company, Kaman Aircraft, Bell Helicopter and Hughes Helicopter Company. Robinson Helicopter Company is the leading manufacturer of light piston-engine helicopters. This proposed AD would not have a substantial direct effect on the States, on the relationship between the national Government and the States, or on the distribution of power and responsibilities among the various levels of government. The factory can produce up to 1,000 helicopters per year. Crashes of Robinson helicopters have killed 176 people to date. of the issuing agency. documents in the last year, 125 This AD was prompted by reports of cracked tail rotor blades (blades). If your comments responsive to this NPRM contain commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that you actually treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to this NPRM, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Robinson's two-seat R22 and four-seat R44 helicopters offer public and private users a low-cost alternative to jet turbine helicopters such as the Bell JetRanger. learn how over 7,000 companies got started! R66 Turbine Marine. It does not have established safety programs. In contrast, the Bell Jet Ranger, a five-seat, turbine-powered helicopter, cost $600,000. Since the FAA issued AD 2021-19-08, two additional cracked blades were discovered; these blades also exhibited stress corrosion cracking, however they were not part of the lot of affected blades that are included in AD 2021-19-08. ", Visit Daily Breeze, Torrance, Calif. at https://www.dailybreeze.com/. Just two years later he took the two-seat, piston powered helicopter on its first flight with a mere 60 hours of flight experience behind him. The R44 Astro was awarded an FAA Type Certificate in December 1992, with the first deliveries taking place in January 1993. Of the 13,000 helicopters Robinson has sold, 1,200 have crashed. Design work on his new lightweight helicopter consumed the living room and garage of Robinson's Palos Verdes residence, which was itself mortgaged to finance the aircraft's development. Full benefits for employee and offered insurance for family. documents in the last year, 825 Today, Robinson Helicopter Company are famous for producing some of the most popular helicopters ever. The safety board closed its file on mast-rocking but did not declare the issue resolved. 05/01/2023, 858 Federal Register issue. Even using the companys estimated flight hours nearly 40% more than the FAAs the R44 still had the highest rate at 1.17 fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours. To date it has delivered more than13,000 helicopters and shows no sign of stopping. They havent figured it out, former NTSB chairman Christopher Hart told The Times late last year. Its greater size also opened new possibilities in police work, agriculture, and fish spotting. The company protested the watch-list designation and said mast-bumping accidents are entirely avoidable when pilots use good judgment and follow operating procedures. The FAA also reviewed Robinson R44 Service Bulletin SB-110, which specifies removing P/N C029-3 blades with S/N 9910 through 10659 from service and Robinson R66 Service Bulletin SB-40, which specifies removing P/N F029-1 blades with S/N 2410 through 2589 from service. Robinson founded the Robinson Helicopter Company out of his Palos Verdes home in 1973 and developed the first R22 prototype at the Torrance Airport. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. It has an enclosed cabin with two rows of side-by-side seating for a pilot and three passengers. For information on the availability of this material at the FAA, call (817) 222-5110. The end result is that the entire rotor assembly can easily shear off of the helicopter. By this time, Robinson was selling more helicopters than anybody else, including Bell, Sikorsky, Boeing, and McDonnell Douglas. The prevailing opinion, at the time, was that helicopter market was for the military only. As a result, not all operators are familiar with the phenomenon, as the accident operator was not, the agency noted. It wasnt until February of 2012 that they released Service Bulletin SB78, requiring the installation of improved fuel tanks for safety.

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