ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 134796
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| Date: | Saturday 28 May 2005 |
| Time: | 11:50 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 |
| Owner/operator: | Concrete Paving Contractors Inc. |
| Registration: | N7015Q |
| MSN: | 0462 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 580 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-F1B5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Lucerne Valley, Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Redlands Municipal Airport, Redlands, California (KREI/FAA LID: L12) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On May 28, 2005, about 11:50 PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), a Robinson R44, N7015Q, impacted terrain while maneuvering during low-level flight near Lucerne Valley, Mojave Desert, San Bernardino County, California. Concrete Paving Contractors, Inc., was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The owner, a private pilot, a certified flight instructor (CFI) safety pilot, and one passenger were seriously injured; the helicopter was destroyed following a post impact fire. The local personal flight departed Redlands Municipal Airport, Redlands, California (L12), at 09:51 PDT. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The approximate global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the primary wreckage were 34 degrees 37.46 minutes north latitude and 116 degrees 41.02 minutes west longitude.
Witnesses observed the helicopter in the area, flying low during a desert off road race. The helicopter crossed the racecourse on a southbound heading. Witness reported that shortly after crossing the racecourse it appeared that the helicopter was attempting to reverse course back towards the north. The helicopter pitched nose down and leveled off just before it impacted into a dry streambed. Upon impact, the helicopter burst into flames. All three people on board the helicopter sustained burns while exiting the burning helicopter.
The operator submitted a Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report (NTSB Form 6120.1/2) on June 21, 2005. The pilot submitted a revised NTSB Form 6120.1/2 on August 11, 2005.
The pilot stated that the helicopter and engine had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
The National Transportation Safety Board IIC interviewed the pilot on August 4, 2005. The pilot stated that he was flying southbound along the racecourse. He made a hard right 180-degree turn, and lost control of the helicopter. The CFI took over the controls and tried to recover the helicopter. The helicopter hit the ground and rolled onto its left side. With regard to preflight planning, the pilot indicated he went over the "numbers" with the CFI, but he could not remember what they were, only that they were okay.
The pilot indicated that he used to fly the off road races in his airplane. The accident flight was his second flight utilizing a helicopter for overflying off road races. The accident flight was the first time the pilot had flown this type of operation with his own helicopter, and as pilot-in-command. The pilot had just completed the Robinson Helicopter Company (RHC) safety course, but he stated he did not know about the RHC safety notice SN-34, which cautions inexperienced helicopter pilots about flying photo flights. The accident pilot requested a copy of the NTSB Form 6120.1/2 that his company had submitted on his behalf to review and correct any mistakes that may have been included in the original.
The IIC interviewed the CFI on June 15, 2005. The CFI reported that he was the safety pilot for the flight and not pilot-in-command, and that they had been flying for about 1 hour on the photo flight when the accident occurred. They were southbound and crossed the racecourse. The private pilot started to turn the helicopter to the right when the helicopter started to spin to the right. The private pilot told the CFI that he had lost control and asked the CFI for help. The CFI took over the flight, got onto controls, and tried to keep the helicopter in a level attitude. The helicopter was descending, and the CFI realized the rotor rpm (revolutions per minute) was decaying. He knew he was too low to try to recover the rpm, so he tried to cushion the impact with the collective. The helicopter impacted the ground and rolled onto its left side, with the main rotor blades striking the ground. He did not recall hearing the low rotor horn until the helicopter was on the ground. After the accident sequence, the pilot, the CFI and the passenger exited the burning helicopter. Prior to the accident, the CFI thought the helicopter had been operating normally.
The CFI estimated that the pilot had about 70 hours of helicopter flight time. Prior to the flight, they talked about helicopter performance and weight and balance issues.
Probable Cause: the pilot's failure to maintain adequate main rotor rpm and directional control while maneuvering at low altitude. Contributing factors in the accident were the helicopter's gross weight in excess of the maximum hover out of ground effect limit, a high density altitude, and the pilot's lack of overall experience with regard to low rpm and settling-with-power recovery techniques.
Accident investigation:
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Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: LAX05FA189 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/NTSB.Aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20050601X00698&ntsbno=LAX05FA189&akey=1
2. FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=7015Q
3. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=821
4. https://www.baumhedlundlaw.com/helicopter-fuel-tanks-should-be-crash-resistant/
5. https://cases.justia.com/federal/appellate-courts/ca9/08-56086/08-56086-2011-04-18.pdf?ts=1411059034
6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucerne_Valley,_California
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Sep-2016 00:12 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Sep-2016 16:17 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Sep-2016 16:18 | Aerossurance | Updated [Location, Departure airport] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 06-Dec-2017 08:12 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Oct-2018 23:19 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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