Be very careful in the R22 helicopter to pull the cruise trim and not the fuel mixture by mistake (as happened in this accident):
…He reached down to the instrument panel pedestal with the intention of pulling the cyclic right trim knob; however, the flight instructor observed him instead reach for the adjacent engine fuel mixture control. The instructor yelled for him to stop, and attempted to swat his hand clear, however, the pilot then pulled the control and the engine lost all power…
Always reach LEFT around the cyclic column when pulling cruise trim in an R22 to minimize the chance of pulling the mixture instead.
Robinson Helicopters has a Safety Notice (SN-1) regarding inadvertently pulling mixture control in flight:
This accident was not the first and probably won’t be the last until the design is changed. See the full NTSB report here.
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