Robinson R44 N952LC
29 September 2002 · Del Rio, Texas, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 29 September 2002 at about 23:00 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N952LC, operated by Holt Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Del Rio, Texas, United States. 2 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Del Rio, Texas, United States
- Coordinates
- 29.3698, -100.8904
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44
- Registration
- N952LC
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Holt Helicopters
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Del Rio → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW02LA268
People
1 person had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter. A contributing factor was the reported gusting wind conditions.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The 1,243-hour commercial pilot was attempting to land the helicopter on a trailer following completion of a deer survey on a 10,000 acres ranch. The pilot reported that the wind was "strong, estimated at 20 to 25 knots." During his second attempt to land on the trailer, the helicopter "lurched" forward, rolled to the right, then fell off the trailer, landing on its left side. The nearest weather reporting station, located about 5 miles southwest of the accident site was reporting the winds from 130 degrees at 10 knots about 7 minutes after the accident.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 2002 | Robinson R44 | Bavaro, Dominican Republic | Helicopteros del Caribe, S.A. | Minor injuries | - |
| 28 Jun 2002 | Robinson R44 | Houston, Texas, United States | Merwin H. Wilkinson | No injuries | - |
| 12 Feb 2003 | Robinson R44 | Mareeba Aerdrome, Australia | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2003 | Robinson R44 | Happy Jack, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 2001 | Robinson R44 | Gorst, Washington, United States | Classic Helicopter Corp. | Fatal | 2 |
| 25 Jun 2003 | Robinson R44 II | Coleta, Illinois, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 May 2002 | Boeing A75SN1 | Georgetown, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2002 | Cessna 188A | Vincent, Texas, United States | Elk Creek Spraying Service | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 2002 | Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9B | El Paso, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2002 | Bellanca 17-30 | Plainview, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jan 2002 | Cessna 340A | Temple, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 18 Jan 2002 | Beechcraft C23 | Sinton, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |