Robinson R44 II N442DR

Summary

On 6 July 2017 at about 22:45 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N442DR was involved in an accident near Ronan, Montana, United States. 2 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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.

Date

6 July 2017 at 22:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Ronan, Montana, United States

Coordinates

47.4764, -114.0553

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N442DR

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ronan → Ronan

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR17LA143

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness during a low-altitude orbiting maneuver and a subsequent hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The private pilot departed on a local, private flight in the helicopter with a family member onboard for a scenic tour of the area. The pilot reported that, about 45 minutes into the flight, he slowed the helicopter to 35 knots, descended it to about 300 ft above ground level (agl), and then entered a left orbiting turn to follow an animal. The helicopter then experienced an uncommanded yaw, which the pilot perceived as a loss of tail rotor authority, and it then began to spin clockwise and descend. The pilot immediately attempted to counteract the spin by lowering the collective control, reducing power, and applying left antitorque pedal, which he maintained for the rest of the descent. When the helicopter was about 5 ft agl, the pilot pulled the collective control, but he was unable to arrest the descent, likely because the descent rate was too high, and the helicopter subsequently impacted the ground hard, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail cone and tail rotor. Postaccident helicopter examination revealed no evidence of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. Further, the pilot reported that there were no problems with the engine and that it continued to run normally after the helicopter came to rest. It is likely that the pilot allowed the airspeed to drop below translational lift, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness and a subsequent spin. Despite remedial actions to compensate for the spin, the descent rate was likely too high to arrest it, which resulted in the hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.