ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 253814
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| Date: | Thursday 22 April 2021 |
| Time: | 21:04 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Raven I |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4055N |
| MSN: | 2619 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2020 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 125 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-F1B5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Forkston, PA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Allentown Queen City Municipal Airport (KXLL) |
| Bradford County Airport, PA (N27) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On April 22, 2021, about 2104 eastern daylight time, a Robinson Helicopter R44, N4055N, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Forkston, Pennsylvania. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot departed from his home airport about 13 minutes after sunset under visual flight rules and in visual meteorological conditions. He was not instrument-rated in helicopters, and the helicopter he owned was not approved for flight in instrument conditions. About 1 hour into the flight, the pilot likely encountered snow showers and instrument meteorological conditions that were forecast and moving through the area. Radar data showed that, after entering the area of weather, the pilot began a right, descending turn and the helicopter crashed in a rural, wooded area. The helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and a postimpact fire. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. There was no evidence that the pilot obtained a weather briefing or reviewed the weather prior to or during the flight.
The dark night conditions under the likely overcast skies, the obscuration of the snow showers, and the lack of terrestrial illumination due to being over a remote and wooded area were all conducive to the formation of spatial disorientation. The pilot’s lack of an instrument rating in helicopters, and the helicopter’s lack of equipage for flight instrument meteorological conditions, would also have increased the likelihood of the pilot becoming spatially disoriented. The descending right turn exhibited by the helicopter in the final moments of the flight were consistent with the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of control.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate preflight weather planning, which resulted in an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions at night, spatial disorientation, and collision with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2021/04/23/helicopter-crash-allentown-wyoming-pennsylvania/
https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/allentown/2021/04/helicopter-from-allentown-airport-crashes-in-northeastern-pa.html
NTSB
https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=4055N
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N4055N/history/20210423/0039Z/KXLL/L%2041.48872%20-76.18101
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Apr-2021 15:07 | gerard57 | Added |
| 23-Apr-2021 15:50 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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