Robinson R44 N459TA

Summary

On 21 July 2019 at about 13:45 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N459TA, operated by Mid-West Helicopter, LLC, was involved in an accident near Ida Grove, Iowa, United States. One person was on board and 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

21 July 2019 at 13:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Ida Grove, Iowa, United States

Coordinates

42.3408, -95.5381

Aircraft

Robinson R44

Registration

N459TA

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Mid-West Helicopter, LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ida Grove → Ida Grove

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN19LA230

1 person had minor injuries.

A total loss of engine power during an aerial application flight for undetermined reasons.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot of the helicopter was performing an aerial application flight when he noted the engine rpm below "half" and dropping along with the main rotor rpm. The pilot reduced the collective and attempted a high hovering autorotation. Due to the lack of airspeed and altitude, the helicopter impacted a bean field "very hard." The pilot reported that the engine was not operating when the helicopter came to rest on its left side. The pilot reported that he was paying close attention to the carburetor heat temperature during the flight, as he had the carburetor heat lever pulled out "a little over half" and he kept the needle out of the yellow arc depicted on the carburetor temperature gauge. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine found no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation, and the helicopter had adequate fuel onboard at the time of the accident. The temperature and dew point at the time of the accident were conducive to the formation of serious carburetor icing at glide power settings. However, given that the pilot was monitoring the carburetor temperature gauge, it is unlikely that the loss of engine power was due to carburetor ice. The reason for the loss of engine power could not be determined based on the available information.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.