ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 226306
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| Date: | Monday 17 June 2019 |
| Time: | 17:30 LT |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Clipper |
| Owner/operator: | TVPX Aircraft Solutions Inc Trustee |
| Registration: | N7187D |
| MSN: | 1113 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1746 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IGSO-540-B1A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Two Harbors, Santa Catalina Island, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Santa Ana-John Wayne International Airport, CA (SNA/KSNA) |
| Torrance Airport, CA (TOA/KTOA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of the helicopter was conducting a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight from which he failed to return as planned. Radar data depicted the helicopter about 375 ft above ground level and 117 knots with no sudden airspeed or altitude diversions before it impacted an island hillside. The wreckage was located the following day, significantly fragmented and consumed by a postimpact fire. Ground scars and the wreckage distribution were consistent with collision with terrain in a level flight attitude. There was no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter.
Review of weather information supported instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) over the area of the accident site and an environment conducive to cloud development below 1,000 ft mean sea level. Satellite data showed that, during the accident timeframe, the northwestern part of the island (where the accident site was located) was affected by cloud cover, although most of the rest of the island was not, or the cloud coverage was not as extensive. The weather information that the pilot may have accessed before the flight could not be determined; however, reports available to him likely depicted higher cloud bases than those present over the accident site at the time of the accident. A first responder reported that low ceilings and visibility were common for the area for that time of year, and typically formed in the early evening hours and persisted overnight into the morning.
The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot's continued VFR flight into a localized area of IMC, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR19FA175
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N7187D
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Jun-2019 18:28 | gerard57 | Added |
| 18-Jun-2019 19:06 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 18-Jun-2019 19:16 | N25992 | Updated [Aircraft type, Source] |
| 18-Jun-2019 22:24 | Captain Adam | Updated [Phase, Nature, Destination airport, Source] |
| 19-Jun-2019 15:07 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Location, Phase, Nature, Source] |
| 19-Jun-2019 15:14 | RobertMB | Updated [Operator] |
| 19-Jun-2019 16:37 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
| 26-Jun-2019 19:50 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Jun-2019 19:51 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Narrative] |
| 08-Jul-2022 15:29 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report] |
| 25-Jul-2023 20:19 | harro | Updated [[Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report]] |
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