He financed his education at the University of Washington by working on cargo ships, reports Forbes; thus, he did not graduate until he was 27. A weak dollar was good for exports, which accounted for 80 percent of sales. "We intend to go on for many, many more years, so he's left a real legacy. By this time, Robinson was selling more helicopters than anybody else, including Bell, Sikorsky, Boeing, and McDonnell Douglas. On top of being the best-selling civilian helicopter in the world, the R44 is also the most lethal. 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. The NTSB blamed the accident on an undetermined event and launched an extensive review of fatal Robinson crashes 31 in the R22 and three in the then-fledgling R44. The prototype was then sold to a flight school, a market he told the Los Angeles Times he had not even considered when he began to develop the aircraft. The company currently has over 1,000 employees in its Torrance headquarters. 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. Please mark each page of your submission containing CBI as PROPIN. The FAA will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the FOIA, and they will not be placed in the public docket of this NPRM. Based on the company's two-seat Robinson R22, the R44 features hydraulically assisted flight controls. Follow the instructions for submitting comments. Two early R22's were in fatal accidents, however, leading to a redesign of rotor blades. Very productive in house fabrication and istallation. We have a record of success in cases involving aviation disasters and injuries related to planes and helicopters. Machinist (Former Employee) - Torrance, CA - November 10, 2020. The FAA rejected that claim. That image stuck with Robinson and drove the course of his career and life. That is an average of 1.6 deadly crashes per 100,000 hours flown, a rate nearly 50% higher than that of the other dozen most common civilian models. Both models dominated the competition and became the best-selling civilian helicopters of their time. Robinson released its first model, the R22, in the late 1970s, and it released the R44 in 1993. Upon his retirement, Frank Robinson was succeeded by his son, Kurt, who is the Chairman and President of the Robinson Helicopter Company. Death rate (Fatal accidents per 100,000 flight hours). The company delivered 384 R22's in 1990; sales were $48 million. [5], Robinson also produces the Robinson Helipad, a modular helipad designed for light helicopters.[6]. 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. including any personal information you provide. They put people in the air who otherwise would not be able to afford to fly helicopters or buy helicopters, said Ilyas Akbari, a Los Angeles aviation attorney whose firm has brought about a dozen lawsuits alleging that design defects make Robinsons unforgiving of pilot mistakes and inherently unsafe. The company president, Kurt Robinson, contested his helicopters place atop The Times accident-rate ranking. Robinson Helicopter Company is the leading manufacturer of light piston-engine helicopters. Frank Robinson, founder of Torrance's Robinson Helicopter Company, dies Replacing a blade would take about 3.5 work-hours and parts would cost about $3,320 for an estimated cost of $3,618 per blade and up to $3,125,952 for the U.S. fleet. From improper fuel-tank placement, to mast-bumping (where the helicopter blades see-saw to the point of hitting the aircraft), to mast-rocking (inexplicable, violent vibrations in the middle of the flight that cause a crash), the Robinson Helicopter Company has found itself under FAA scrutiny numerous times for the R44s fatal defects. 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. Use the PDF linked in the document sidebar for the official electronic format. The factory can produce up to 1,000 helicopters per year. (3) AMOCs approved previously for AD 2021-19-08 are approved as AMOCs for the corresponding requirements in paragraph (g) of this AD. Expert aviation consultants find this shocking, and they have been quoted saying they believe Robinson Helicopter Company engages in these shoddy record-keeping practices with the specific intent to divest itself of all records in an attempt to have plausible deniability related to responsibility.. Production bonuses. Seconds later, the helicopter tore through the treetops and slammed into a house, killing his passenger, Charles Farmer, a 59-year-old co-worker. At least 65 wrongful-death and product liability lawsuits have been filed across the country since then, accusing Robinson of concealing or willfully ignoring safety issues and dodging accountability allegations the company denies. 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. And he got in the helicopter and he actually hovered it, which is very impressive. More than 600 people have perished in Robinson crashes around the world since 1982. Robinson Helicopter Company Russian Helicopters, JSC Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. Table of content for the HelicopterMarket includes: Global HelicopterMarket: Research Methodology . This repetition of headings to form internal navigation links Robinson Helicopter Company (@robinsonheli) - Instagram https://www.regulations.gov. The unsafe condition, if not addressed, could result in reduced controllability and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter. Send your comments to an address listed under Document page views are updated periodically throughout the day and are cumulative counts for this document. Its business model: mass-produce simple, low-cost helicopters and sell them to the civilian public at an affordable price. Production bonuses. for better understanding how a document is structured but This information is not part of the official Federal Register document. Counts are subject to sampling, reprocessing and revision (up or down) throughout the day. They manufacture the R22, which is a two-seater, the R44, which is a four-seater, and the R66, which is a five-seater. Others have died when main rotor blades peeled apart in flight or sliced through tail booms or cockpits. Its business model: mass-produce simple, low-cost helicopters and sell them to the civilian public at an affordable price. Some dubbed them "Swift Family Robinson.". The first production R44 Astro was delivered in February 1993. Unique in the multi-tiered aerospace industry, Robinson builds most of its own components. Additional information is available in this. FAA-2022-0872; Project Identifier AD-2022-00431-R at the beginning of your comments. After completing the CAPTCHA below, you will immediately regain access to the site again. If you asked Frank who he is, the first thing he would tell you is hes an engineer, said Kurt. Robinson was born in Carbonado, Washington in 1930. Start Printed Page 41628 the Federal Register. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the proposal, explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. How The Robinson R66 Became The Most Popular Dangerous Helicopter learn how over 7,000 companies got started! The ATSB recommended that the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) take further action to urge R44 owners to fit bladder-type tanks. More information and documentation can be found in our Danger spins from the sky: The Robinson R44, the world's best-selling Plans for production of the Robinson R66 were announced in March 2007. Robinson died peacefully in his Rolling Hills home on Saturday, Nov. 12. A tail rotor stabilizes the aircraft. People who like adventure are attracted to our products, he said. Santa Maria's purportedly cumbersome licensing process helped seal that decision. By 2003, the R44 sales had easily doubled the R22 sales. james.guo@faa.gov. The company manufactures non-military helicopters used in applications such as police work, television news reporting, instrument flight training, radio traffic reporting, and emergency services. Copyright (c) 2022 Company-Histories.com. Robinson participates in NTSB investigations involving its helicopters and submits its findings to federal authorities. Robinson continued to improve its products. With a bargain price tag of $40,000, it soon became the most popular civilian helicopter in the world and a favorite of flight schools. Frank Robinson was a former employee of both Hughes Helicopters and Bell Helicopter. and services, go to Mast bumping is a dangerous condition helicopters can encounter when load on the helicopter's rotor assembly is temporarily reduced during flight (for example, during a low-g maneuver or turbulent weather). Before jurors began deliberations on punitive damages, the two sides reached a confidential settlement. He said the company keeps accident reports and other records for only as long as the FAA requires us to and that throwing them away does not impede its commitment to safety. Robinson died peacefully in his Rolling Hills home on Saturday, Nov. 12. Larry Wells, a pilot for the FAA, was practicing hovering, landing and liftoff maneuvers near Jackson, Miss., on Sept. 1, 2009, when his Robinson R44 began to shudder violently. The helicopter broke apart in midair so suddenly it interrupted the pilot in midsentence. Note 1 to paragraph (c) of this AD: This time was different: The student was carrying a cassette recorder to capture her flight lesson on tape, which revealed no warning of trouble. All of the service centers and dealers are independently owned and operated. As a result, not all operators are familiar with the phenomenon, as the accident operator was not, the agency noted. The Robinson R44 led all major models with the highest fatal accident rate from 2006 to 2016. In 2018, a U.S. lawsuit accused the Robinson Helicopter Company of defective manufacturing after a mast-bumping event caused the in-flight breakup of an R66 helicopter.[12]. You have to instruct them and tell them there are things you cant do.. It was like a train hitting a wall, said Paddi Faubion, who saw the Jan. 30 crash from her balcony in a gated Newport Beach neighborhood. Many of the lawsuits were resolved with confidential settlements. The main problem with these fuel tanks is that in July of 2006, Robinson Helicopter Company released Safety Notice 40, which encouraged pilots and occupants to wear fireproof helmets, gloves, and suits. documents in the last year, 1407 Adding the following new airworthiness directive: Robinson Helicopter Company: Deliver to Mail address above between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR 11.35, the FAA will post all comments received, without change, to Robinson, reported Forbes, did not carry liability insurance due to its supreme confidence in his product. I thought, wait a minute, they can continue to make this same part even after they knew? America's . About the Federal Register Open for Comment. But theres also a limit. It is a glaring problem, but nobody wants to fix it.. Information may be emailed to: Helicopter Pioneer Frank Robinson Passes | Markets Insider Frank Robinson told American Metal Market that $500,000 of this went towards computer-controlled machine tools.