Robinson R22
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60.1; Flight Crew Total 843; Flight Crew Type 790.3
Situational Awareness
Conflict NMAC
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Procedure
After about 40 minutes into the flight we decided to do 180 degree autorotations. We requested... [a] local pattern...and got the approval for it. It was a left traffic pattern. We did about four 180 degree autorotations and then we took off for another one. We climbed out and we reached an indicated altitude of around 950 FT to 980 FT after we passed [a local landmark]. I; the instructor; scanned the area for any traffic in the base- final area for the active runway when I suddenly felt my student applying a lot of right cyclic and announce traffic immediately to our 11 o'clock position. I took the controls immediately and in the same moment I identified the traffic as it passed below us on the left hand side of the helicopter. The estimated distance between us and the aircraft was around 70 to 100 FT. I immediately contacted the Tower and advised that an aircraft is flying at estimated 900 FT through the pattern.
Robinson R22 conducting autorotation training at a Towered airport had a near mid air collision with an aircraft that flew through the pattern at 900 FT with no communication.