Robinson R44 N442JP

Summary

On 18 November 2020 at about 17:30 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N442JP, operated by Atlanta Helicopters, was involved in an accident near Austell, Georgia, United States. 2 people were 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

18 November 2020 at 17:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Austell, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

None

Coordinates

33.8348, -84.6579

Aircraft

Robinson R44

Registration

N442JP

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Atlanta Helicopters

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atlanta → Atlanta

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA21LA046

Nobody was injured.

The flight instructor’s failure to maintain adequate clearance above the gravel surface in a hover, which resulted in a dynamic rollover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight instructor and student pilot were practicing approaches off-airport in the helicopter, and the flight instructor was demonstrating a slope landing. The flight instructor described that while in the hover, the helicopter suddenly pitched up 10-20°, followed by a pitch down of a like amount. The main rotor subsequently impacted the ground and the helicopter rolled over onto its left side, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom, main rotor, and fuselage. The flight instructor reported that there no preaccident mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Photographs of the accident site showed that the surface the hover was being performed over was an open area of uneven gravel. In a statement to a law enforcement officer who responded to the accident, the flight instructor described that the helicopter’s skid had contacted the gravel and the helicopter then flipped over. Given this information, it is likely that during the hover, the helicopter inadvertently contacted the gravel surface, which initiated a dynamic rollover event from which the flight instructor could not recover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.