Accident Robinson R44 Raven II N441ML,
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ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 202944
 
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Date:Wednesday 13 December 2017
Time:16:10
Type:Silhouette image of generic R44 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different    
Robinson R44 Raven II
Owner/operator:Private
Registration: N441ML
MSN: 10465
Year of manufacture:2004
Total airframe hrs:199 hours
Engine model:Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5
Fatalities:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage: Substantial
Category:Accident
Location:Newark-Heath Airport (KVTA), Heath, OH -   United States of America
Phase: Take off
Nature:Ferry/positioning
Departure airport:Wise, VA (LNP)
Destination airport:Newark, OH (VTA)
Investigating agency: NTSB
Confidence Rating: Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Narrative:
The pilot reported that he was relocating the helicopter from the fueling station to an overnight parking area. He initially attempted to move the helicopter on wheels but was unsuccessful. He then started the helicopter, performed the startup checklist, and applied a “normal amount of collective,” but the helicopter rolled to the right and impacted the ground.
The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tailboom.
The automated weather observation station located on the airport reported that, about 16 minutes before the accident, the wind was from 160° at 5 knots.
In a followup conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge, the pilot reported that the helicopter began rolling to the right immediately after lifting off and that he added power to increase the altitude and applied left cyclic to counteract the right rolling movement. He estimated that the accident sequence took only seconds.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s Helicopter Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-21A, contained a section titled, “Normal Takeoffs and Landings,” which stated:
Dynamic rollover is possible even during normal takeoffs and landings on relatively level ground, if one wheel or skid is on the ground and thrust (lift) is approximately equal to the weight of the helicopter. If the takeoff or landing is not performed properly, a roll rate could develop around the wheel or skid that is on the ground. When taking off or landing, perform the maneuver smoothly and carefully adjust the cyclic so that no pitch or roll movement rates build up, especially the roll rate. If the bank angle starts to increase to an angle of approximately 5-8°, and full corrective cyclic does not reduce the angle, the collective should be reduced to diminish the unstable rolling condition. Excessive bank angles can also be caused by landing gear caught in a tie down strap, or a tie down strap still attached to one side of the helicopter. Lateral loading imbalance (usually outside published limits) is another contributing factor.

Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain lateral control of the helicopter during takeoff, which resulted in dynamic rollover.

Accident investigation:
cover
  
Investigating agency: NTSB
Report number: GAA18CA089
Status: Investigation completed
Duration: 3 months
Download report: Final report

Sources:

NTSB
FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=441ML

Location

Images:


Photo: FAA

Revision history:

Date/timeContributorUpdates
14-Dec-2017 12:55 gerard57 Added
21-Dec-2017 20:41 Aerossurance Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Departure airport]
31-Dec-2017 01:11 Geno Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative]
02-Apr-2018 07:33 ASN Update Bot Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative]
02-Apr-2018 08:03 harro Updated [Source, Narrative, Photo, ]

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