The FAA determined that this proposed AD would not have federalism implications under Executive Order 13132. documents in the last year, 9 The FAA is issuing this rulemaking under the authority described in Subtitle VII, Part A, Subpart III, Section 44701, General requirements. Robinson Helicopter Company: The Deadliest Helicopter Manufacturer in Robinson moved to a new 260,000-square-foot plant in July 1994. By this time, Robinson was selling more helicopters than anybody else, including Bell, Sikorsky, Boeing, and McDonnell Douglas. 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. It is not an official legal edition of the Federal He replaced his living room furniture with drafting tables, set up a workshop in the garage and farmed out parts fabrication to a business partner in Hawaii. Finally, we can read about how these great companies came about with Company Histories.. Robinson continued to improve its products. 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. Helicopter manufacturer in the United States, New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission, "Robinson Helicopter celebrating 50 years", "Robinson Boosts Production as Sales Surge, Strikes Deal for 1,000 Rolls-Royce Turboshafts", "Robinson Tri-Hinge Rotor Head R22 Helicopter", "Final Report, Aviation Inquiry AO-2014-006, Robinson R44 II, ZK-HBQ, mast-bump and in-flight break-up, Kahurangi National Park, 7 October 2014", "TAIC publishes interim report on July 2018 fatal Robinson R44 helicopter accident over Lake Wanaka", "Danger spins from the sky: The Robinson R44, the world's best-selling civilian helicopter, has a long history of deadly crashes", "Robinson helicopters: mast bumping accidents in NZ", "Lawsuit Claims Robinson Defects Caused Fatal 2016 Crash in Arizona", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Robinson_Helicopter_Company&oldid=1143572045, Helicopter manufacturers of the United States, Manufacturing companies based in Greater Los Angeles, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 8 March 2023, at 15:44. publication in the future. 106(g), 40113, 44701. a. More information and documentation can be found in our This was the largest-scale grounding of any aircraft in New Zealand's history. And if we branch out from the R44 model, the statistics are even worse. They manufacture the R22, which is a two-seater, the R44, which is a four-seater, and the R66, which is a five-seater. All teetering rotor systems are susceptible to a phenomenon called mast-bumping, which occurs when the seesawing becomes so extreme that the hub or the inner ends of the rotor blades strike the mast. "He was captivated with helicopters and really wanted to develop that as a personal transport and the rest is history," said Kurt. [20]:7, Although the data did not consider which type of fuel tanks were fitted, the report mentioned four fatal accidents to the R44 fitted with bladder-type tanks, but as far as they knew, did not involve a post-accident fire. They are currently both offered with many different configuration options, including police, float, and even news versions. Tail rotor direction of rotation on the R44 is reversed compared to the R22 for improved yaw control authority. On key safety issues dogging the R44, the FAA has taken a more hands-off approach than its foreign counterparts. Robinson participates in NTSB investigations involving its helicopters and submits its findings to federal authorities. documents in the last year, 1407 The prevailing opinion, at the time, was that helicopter market was for the military only. The Robinson R44 led all major models with the highest fatal accident rate from 2006 to 2016. 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. Oh, man, were they lucky.. Robinson Helicopter Company of Torrance, California, is the world's leading producer of civil helicopters. offers a preview of documents scheduled to appear in the next day's the current document as it appeared on Public Inspection on The agency issued AD 2021-19-08 to address the unsafe condition on these products. The causes of many helicopter crashes remain a mystery even after the NTSB tasked with scrutinizing every U.S. civil aviation accident finishes its job. In some helicopters, it might cause only minor damage. AD 2021-19-08 was prompted by reports of spanwise cracks found along the leading edge of P/N C029-3 blades, S/N 9410 through 9909. Robinson Helicopter Company - ideamensch As consumers, we often take for granted all the hard work that goes into building a great company. Fax: "And he got in the helicopter and he actually hovered it, which is very impressive. It was viewed 11 times while on Public Inspection. I just remember thinking, Who is going to die next? she said. Without data, you are at a loss. (3) Robinson Model R66 helicopters with a blade P/N F029-1 with S/N 2410 through 2589 inclusive, installed. In 2009, the company began to bolster its new R44 tanks with flexible bladders, which are puncture-resistant and designed to contain fuel in low-impact crashes. The Model R22 Alpha, with increased gross weight, was rolled out two years later. He said that some New Zealand pilots had been practicing maneuvers known as cyclic pushovers, which can cause mast-bumping and are prohibited by Robinson operator handbooks. The Times reviewed all investigation reports issued since the new regulation took effect and identified 10 fatal Robinson crashes in which investigators saw signs of mast-bumping. A weak dollar was good for exports, which accounted for 80 percent of sales. 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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. This company has posted a revenue of $200 million. Those helicopters should have all been grounded and there should have been a giant red flag and a recall.. We have a record of success in cases involving aviation disasters and injuries related to planes and helicopters. Kurt Robinson dismissed such criticism and said victims lawyers often are merely seeking big payouts. All rights reserved. Robinson was born in Carbonado, Washington in 1930. Subtitle VII, Aviation Programs, describes in more detail the scope of the Agency's authority. on FederalRegister.gov Right then and there I decided thats what I want to do.. About the Federal Register These helicopters are all manufactured, assembled, inspected, and tested at the Torrance, California factory. documents in the last year, 19 Its another thing, from an engineering standpoint, to say, How are you going to do this? This is not a simple thing to do.. Santa Maria's purportedly cumbersome licensing process helped seal that decision. Register (ACFR) issues a regulation granting it official legal status. establishing the XML-based Federal Register as an ACFR-sanctioned These include, but are in not limited to, induction into the California Aviation Hall of Fame, induction into the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, a Lifetime Aviation Engineering Award from the Living Legends of Aviation, the Daniel Guggenheim Medal from the American Helicopter Society, and the Howard Hughes Memorial Award from the Southern California Aeronautic Association. A pilot may perform this check because it involves visually checking each blade for a crack. This action could be performed equally well by a pilot or a mechanic. In one instance, a cracked blade was suspected when the pilot felt From a numbers standpoint, it worked. Relevant information about this document from Regulations.gov provides additional context. documents in the last year. Like other manufacturers, Robinson had an eye on the emerging Chinese market, which was expected to field 2,000 helicopters by 2010. TORRANCE Aviation visionary and South Bay legend Frank Robinson has died at 92. leaving behind six children, a company of over 1,000 employees and a forever changed helicopter industry. 650 were here. These markup elements allow the user to see how the document follows the on Note 1 to paragraph (c) of this AD: Maintenance Training The Robinson Way | Aviation Pros to the courts under 44 U.S.C. Frank Robinson was born in 1930 and grew up near Seattle. Robinson Helicopter Company is the leading manufacturer of light piston-engine helicopters. Initial financing was in the $2 to $3 million range. [10], The R44 was found to be prone to post-accident fires due to damage to the aluminum fuel tanks, allowing fuel to leak out. Robinson Helicopter Company | LinkedIn Robinson said that doesnt matter, because the stiffer mounts have eliminated the problem: We knew how to solve it and we did.. 49 U.S.C. The official Robinson Helicopter Company Facebook page. Crashes of Robinson helicopters have killed 176 people to date. Overtime sometimes on weekends. Removing Airworthiness Directive AD 2021-19-08, Amendment 39-21726 ( 86 FR 49915, September 7, 2021); and. The FAA has included all known costs in its cost estimate. Some dubbed them "Swift Family Robinson.". documents in the last year, 204 For more information about this AD, contact James Guo, Aerospace Engineer, Airframe Section, Los Angeles ACO Branch, Compliance & Airworthiness Division, FAA, 3960 Paramount Blvd., Lakewood, CA 90712; telephone (562) 627-5357; email 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. TORRANCE, Calif., Nov. 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- On November 12, 2022 Robinson Helicopter Company bid a final farewell to its founder, Frank Robinson.Robinson, 92, passed away peacefully at his . Some pilots or their surviving family members said they were stunned to learn after accidents of the R44s safety issues, and they questioned why regulators had not taken stronger action. Developed from the R22, the R44 made its debut in 1993 and is now the companys most popular model, largely because it can carry more passengers. And he got in the helicopter and he actually hovered it, which is very impressive. Unlike almost any other aviation company, Robinson does not analyze the findings of crashes to determine the causes of accident. The end result is that the entire rotor assembly can easily shear off of the helicopter. Tim Tomasik, Tomasik Kotin Kasserman co-founder and partner, proudly represents the widow of the passenger that died in the October 23 helicopter crash, and he is committed to the vigilant pursuit of justice against the Robinson Helicopter Company. Until the ACFR grants it official status, the XML The company continued to grow in the late 1990s. The first R44 Newscopter featuring onboard electronic news gathering equipment was delivered in 1998. Robinson produces three models the two-seat R22, the four-seat R44, both of which use Lycoming piston engines, and the five-seat R66, which uses a turbine engine.