Robinson R66 N641RZ

Summary

On 16 August 2022 at about 19:50 local time, a Robinson R66 registered N641RZ, operated by Iron Horse Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near Millville, Minnesota, 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

16 August 2022 at 19:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Millville, Minnesota, United States

Coordinates

44.2300, -92.2707

Aircraft

Robinson R66

Registration

N641RZ

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2011

Engines

1

Operator

Iron Horse Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Stuartville → Stuartville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA387

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate inflight planning resulted in impact with a power line.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported spraying several different fields throughout the day. During the accident spray pass, the pilot sighted a power line and attempted to avoid it by lowering the collective. The helicopter struck the power line and subsequently impacted terrain, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation and that he should made a more complete reconnaissance of the field.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.