ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 46003
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| Date: | Thursday 15 February 2001 |
| Time: | 22:15 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N4002M |
| MSN: | 1444 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1990 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 975 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-320-B2C |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 6666 Ranch, 0.9 miles E of Highway 207, Borger, Texas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Gruver, TX (E19) |
| Amarillo, TX | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The non-instrument rated private pilots did not obtain a weather briefing or file a flight plan for the night cross-country flight. During dark night conditions, a witness observed the helicopter descending from the clouds following a highway. The helicopter appeared to be at a height just above a 285-foot tall radio tower. Approximately 5 miles south of the radio tower, the helicopter struck an electrical pole, impacted terrain, and came to rest adjacent to an oil pump jack. A weather study revealed that the accident site was in an area of low ceilings and restricted visibility. During examination of the helicopter, no anomalies were found with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal flight operations.
Probable Cause: the pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and failure to maintain obstacle clearance. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to obtain an updated preflight weather briefing and the dark night conditions.
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20010302X00535&key=1
FAA register: 2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=4002M
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 26-Sep-2016 12:20 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 10-Dec-2017 10:34 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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