NTSB Identification: ERA13LA045
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, November 01, 2012 in Alexander City, AL
Aircraft: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R22, registration: N231TM
Injuries: 1 Serious,1 Minor.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On November 1, 2012, about 1546 central daylight time, a Robinson R-22, N231TM, sustained substantial damaged during an autorotation landing at Thomas C. Russell Field Airport (ALX), Alexander City, Alabama. Both commercial pilots onboard received injuries; one serious and the other minor. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight was originating from ALX at the time of the accident.

According to the responding Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, the pilots were en route to Sarasota, Florida and were departing ALX after stopping for lunch. During the left crosswind phase of their departure, the helicopter started to shake. The pilot flew the aircraft southeast to initiate an emergency landing in the grass. At approximately 100 feet above ground level the pilot entered an autorotation maneuver, but the helicopter impacted the ground hard resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor blades and fuselage.

The wreckage has been retained for further examination.

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