Robinson R44 II N719TF

Summary

On 28 July 2022 at about 17:15 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N719TF, operated by Blue Stem Leasing LLC, was involved in an accident near Ithaca, Nebraska, 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

28 July 2022 at 17:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Ithaca, Nebraska, United States

Coordinates

41.1628, -96.5397

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N719TF

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Blue Stem Leasing LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA345

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during low level aerial application operations due to a distraction.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was enroute to the next field he would spray and used a handheld GPS unit to navigate. When he finished imputing information into the GPS, he looked up and saw power lines across his flight path. The pilot pulled up on the collective and cyclic to climb; however, the helicopter struck the upper power line. The pilot entered an autorotation, during which the pilot felt unusual vibrations, but had full authority of the flight controls. The helicopter settled into a mature stand of corn, which resulted in structural damage to the tail boom and main rotor system. The pilot stated that he should have climbed to 500 ft agl before he used his GPS to navigate to the next field.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.