Robinson R44 N555FP
17 March 2011 · Petersburg, West Virginia, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 17 March 2011 at about 18:20 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N555FP, operated by Kevin C Rychlik, was involved in an accident near Petersburg, West Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. 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 18:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Petersburg, West Virginia, United States
- Nearest airport
- Grant County Airport (W99)
- Coordinates
- 38.9903, -79.1408
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44
- Registration
- N555FP
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Kevin C Rychlik
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Manassas → Petersburg
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- ERA11CA194
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control during the takeoff.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot of the helicopter stated that he was preparing to lift off into a hover and then depart from the airport. As he raised the collective, the helicopter became light on the skids, and rolled to the right and then to the left. The main rotor blades struck the ground, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the horizontal stabilizer and tail boom. The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter. He further reported 315 hours of total flight experience, which included 51 hours in helicopters, all in the same make and model as the accident helicopter.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Nov 2011 | Robinson R44 II | Hackensack, Minnesota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Mar 2011 | Robinson R44 II | Weston, Florida, United States | Bravo Helicopters, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 2011 | Robinson R44 II | Glenwood Springs, Colorado, United States | 244 Charlie Delta LLC | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 2011 | Robinson R44 II | Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States | Penn Helicopter LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Mar 2011 | Robinson R44 | Straubing, Germany | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Dec 2011 | Robinson R44 | Sao Bento do Sul, Brazil | SASH Locacao de Veiculos | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Feb 2011 | Cessna 172N | Welch, West Virginia, United States | Samuel Hazzard, Jr | Serious injuries | - |
| 5 Oct 2011 | Harry L Weber ARION LI | Hedgesville, West Virginia, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 3 Oct 2011 | Piper PA-32R-300 | Peru, West Virginia, United States | Wings R US | Fatal | 3 |
| 18 Oct 2011 | Graff Wilbur C BEARHAWK | Woodrow, West Virginia, United States | McCourt Dwayne E | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jul 2011 | McFarland Wm H RANS S6S | Huntington, West Virginia, United States | Paul E. Adams | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2011 | North American T-28C | Martinsburg, West Virginia, United States | Mangan John W | Fatal | 1 |