ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 192403
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| Date: | Thursday 29 December 2016 |
| Time: | 11:31 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Raven II |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N324RS |
| MSN: | 10067 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2003 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 789 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mount Baldy, San Bernardino County, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Fullerton, CA (FUL) |
| Mt. Baldy, CA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot planned to land the helicopter at the top of a high mountain peak. Three passengers were onboard, and the helicopter was loaded just below its maximum gross weight. The enroute climb was uneventful, and after reaching the peak, the pilot performed an orbit over the landing site. While surveying his landing options, the helicopter’s low rotor rpm warning horn sounded, and he corrected by lowering the collective and increasing engine power. The horn stopped, and he continued to circle the area while reviewing an engine limit manifold pressure chart and determining that he had enough engine power available to proceed.
Hikers were close to his intended landing area, so he initiated an approach with a tailwind toward the lower face of a ridgeline with the intention of turning back to land into the wind. As he approached the landing spot, the low rotor rpm horn sounded again, and he lowered the collective. The helicopter descended rapidly, and due to terrain, there was no escape path, so he warned the passengers to brace for impact. The helicopter landed hard and sustained substantial damage.
The helicopter was operating at the upper limit of its performance capabilities at the reported gross weight and calculated density altitude. Performance charts indicated that the helicopter would not have been able to hover at that altitude, and as such, a successful landing, while not impossible, would have been challenging. The activation of the warning horn during the initial orbit would have been another indication to the pilot that there was limited engine power available for landing.
The pilot reported no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation, and the accident is consistent with the pilot’s failure to maintain rotor rpm while operating near the helicopter’s performance limits.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain main rotor speed during a low orbiting approach over a confined mountainous area. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's decision to attempt to land in an area that did not allow for a safe exit path under conditions near the limit of the helicopter’s performance capability.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Dec-2016 07:10 | Geno | Added |
| 30-Dec-2016 13:58 | CTYONE | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Source] |
| 11-Nov-2018 10:58 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 11-Nov-2018 11:09 | harro | Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo] |
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