Robinson R22 BETA N7190K

Summary

On 22 July 2003 at about 18:15 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N7190K was involved in an accident near Tulalip, Washington, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

22 July 2003 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Tulalip, Washington, United States

Coordinates

48.0742, -122.3019

Aircraft

Robinson R22 BETA

Registration

N7190K

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tulalip → Everett

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

SEA03FA148

1 person died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot landed his helicopter on a bluff adjacent to a hexagonal wood frame structure, which he had been constructing. Although he had landed at the site on previous occasions, this was the first time he had done so with the structure in place. He subsequently walked down and visited a relative and then walked back to the helicopter after advising the relative he would return later. Shortly thereafter the relative heard a "boom" and then noted a fire on the bluff. There were no eyewitnesses to the accident and it could not be determined whether the accident occurred prior to departure, during departure or during a return to the landing site after departure. A post crash fire destroyed most of the helicopter and the wood frame structure. No ground impact marks were noted and there was no evidence that any part of the helicopter struck any of the several trees/dead snags at the perimeter of the bluff. The pilot had an estimated 5,192 hours of total flight experience of which 772 were in rotorcraft and 374 hours were in the accident helicopter. Winds were light and variable and visual meteorological conditions existed at the time. Post crash examination of the non fire-consumed remains of the flight controls and the helicopter's O-360-J2A engine revealed no evidence of pre-impact mechanical malfunction. All major components with the exception of the anti-torque pedals and instrument console were identified/located at the accident site. One main rotor blade was released when the blade retention bolt separated at both ends in shear overload, and the blade displayed minimal leading edge damage. The opposing blade's outboard 4 foot section separated from the inboard section and the inboard section remained attached to the rotor mast. The inboard blade section displayed upward bending and the separation point displayed abrupt downward bending. Three feet of the outboard 4 foot section was destroyed by fire but the leading edge strip was found. The outboard one foot tip was not recovered. There was a light impact impression at the top of the main rotor shaft (outside diameter) indicating mast bumping and the elastomeric teeter stop was absent. The opposing stop was crushed. An indeterminate quantity of Quinine was detected in the pilot's blood and liver during toxicological evaluation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.