Robinson R22 N601HA

Summary

On 4 June 2017 at about 21:30 local time, a Robinson R22 registered N601HA was involved in an accident near Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 June 2017 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States

Nearest airport

Kenosha Rgnl (ENW)

Coordinates

42.5944, -87.9267

Aircraft

Robinson R22

Registration

N601HA

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1981

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kenosha → Kenosha

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN17LA210

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's loss of helicopter control during landing to a dolly.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After a local flight, the commercial pilot was attempting to land the helicopter on a wooden dolly. Witnesses observed the helicopter near the ground, then it quickly climbed to 25 ft above ground level. While airborne, the helicopter wobbled and appeared unstable, then descended and impacted the ramp on its right side. Witnesses also reported that a piece of the helicopter separated during the accident sequence, which likely occurred when a tail rotor blade struck the ground. Impact marks from the tail rotor blades were found in the pavement near the main wreckage. The damage to the outboard edge of the tail rotor blade tip indicated that the helicopter was mostly upright when the blade tip contacted the ground and separated. A postaccident examination of the accident site and wreckage revealed yellow paint transfer from the wooden landing dolly on the front right side of the helicopter. The dolly was found about 50 ft from the helicopter on the ramp. Examination of the engine and airframe did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A postaccident engine test run was performed with no anomalies noted. It is likely that, while attempting to land on the dolly, the pilot lost control of the helicopter, which descended and impacted the landing dolly and the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.