Robinson R44 N570WH

Summary

On 27 July 2020 at about 17:20 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N570WH, operated by MF Helicopters Llc, was involved in an accident near Dakota, Illinois, 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

27 July 2020 at 17:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Dakota, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

42.4394, -89.5153

Aircraft

Robinson R44

Registration

N570WH

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1998

Engines

1

Operator

MF Helicopters Llc

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Dakota → Dakota

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20CA313

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain main rotor clearance from a ground obstacle during a landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he repositioned the helicopter to load application chemical for the aerial application flight. The chemical was in a tank in a hay wagon and the tops of the hay wagon curved outward. He "slowly" set the helicopter down and felt the left skid touch followed by the right skid. The pilot lowered collective after the helicopter touched down and the main rotor blade struck the hay wagon. The helicopter "jumped" and shook violently. Both left and right windshields ejected from the helicopter and the main rotors came to a stop. The pilot attempted to shut down the engine; however, the engine continued to run. He exited the helicopter and applied the fuel cutoff. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main and tail rotors, the skids, and the helicopter "frames." The pilot reported that there was no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. His safety recommendation stated that when setting the helicopter down near obstacles, recheck rotor clearance before fully lowering collective and be mindful that "the blades will move out of cone."

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.