Robinson R44 II N276RC

Summary

On 6 February 2013 at about 23:50 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N276RC, operated by Crumpton Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, 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.

Date

6 February 2013 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Tulsa International Airport (KTUL)

Coordinates

36.1983, -95.8881

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N276RC

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Crumpton Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tulsa → Tulsa

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night

NTSB number

CEN13LA155

Nobody was injured.

The line technician’s failure to remove the refueling mat from the helicopter fuselage following servicing, which resulted in the mat striking the tail rotor in flight, and the pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

After fuel servicing, the line technician did not remove the rubber fueling mat from the fuselage. The pilot did not observe the mat on the fuselage before taking off, most likely due to his inadequate preflight inspection of the helicopter. While climbing through 150 feet above ground level, the fueling mat departed the fuselage and impacted the tail rotor, which resulted in the fracture of both tail rotor blades and a loss of tail rotor control. The pilot executed an autorotation landing and landed without further incident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.