Robinson R44 N4164T

Summary

On 11 March 2023 at about 21:30 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N4164T, operated by Hotel Sierra Aviation LLC, was involved in an accident near De Kalb, Texas, United States. 4 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 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

11 March 2023 at 21:30

Classification

Accident

Location

De Kalb, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

N/A (N/A)

Coordinates

33.6580, -94.6375

Aircraft

Robinson R44

Registration

N4164T

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Hotel Sierra Aviation LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Haworth → Haworth

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN23LA130

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s inability to maintain control of the helicopter due to his failure to maintain rotor speed. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the helicopter’s low rotor speed warning system.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight was conducted to hunt feral hogs. The pilot reported that a group of hogs had entered a large field, and he lowered the collective to maneuver the helicopter closer. When he lowered the collective, he perceived a loss of engine and rotor speed. The helicopter immediately began to lose lift. Once the pilot realized that he could not recover the helicopter, he attempted a running (skid-on) landing. However, the landing skids got stuck in the muddy field, the helicopter rocked forward, and the main rotor blades struck the ground causing the aircraft to roll over. The pilot reported the low rotor speed warning did not activate when the rotor speed started to decay. He also stated that all required preflight checklists were complied with before the flight began and no anomalies were noted. A postrecovery examination was unremarkable with exception of the low rotor warning system, which was not operational at the time of the examination. Specifically, the warning system did not activate when the collective control was brought off the low pitch stop and increased to full travel. The reason for the failure of the low rotor warning system was not determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.