Robinson R44 N771GB

Summary

On 27 July 2020 at about 20:30 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N771GB, operated by Rotorwings Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Hebron, Nebraska, 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

27 July 2020 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Hebron, Nebraska, United States

Nearest airport

Hebron Muni (HJH)

Coordinates

40.1519, -97.5844

Aircraft

Robinson R44

Registration

N771GB

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2000

Engines

1

Operator

Rotorwings Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Hebron → Hebron

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20CA316

1 person had minor injuries.

A loss of engine power due to water contamination in the fuel system. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate preflight to sump the fuel tanks prior to flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the initial climb out for the aerial application flight, he noticed a power loss and initiated an autorotation into a cornfield. During the landing, the fuselage, tail rotor and horizontal/vertical stabilizers were substantially damaged. Fuel drained from the helicopter's gascolator during recovery contained a large quantity of water. Fuel storage for the spray operation consisted of a primary (filtered) and a secondary (unfiltered) storage tank. When fuel was needed from the secondary storage tank, it would be transferred to the primary storage tank to ensure filtering. On the evening prior to the accident, over 4 inches of rainfall occurred at the airport. The operator thought a fuel cap may have been left off the secondary storage tank inadvertently, which may have allowed water to enter the tank. On the day of the accident, due to a pump failure in the primary storage tank, fuel was drawn directly from the secondary (unfiltered) storage tank. The operator stated that rushing contributed to loading unfiltered fuel into the helicopter. The pilot did not sump the helicopter's fuel tanks as required by the flight manual during preflight and/or after refueling, which would have identified the water contamination.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.