ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 68309
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| Date: | Sunday 20 September 2009 |
| Time: | 14:40 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 II |
| Owner/operator: | Gillian Blue GP LLC |
| Registration: | N4174P |
| MSN: | 12512 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2008 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 129 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Rancho Guejito, east of Lake Wohlford, near Valley Center, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Montgomery Field Airport, San Diego, California (MYF/KMYF) |
| Montgomery Field Airport, San Diego, California (MYF/KMYF) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 20, 2009, about 14:40 PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), a Robinson R44 II, N4174P, collided with rocky terrain during a forced landing at Rancho Guejito, east of Lake Wohlford, Santa Ysabel, near Valley Center, San Pasqual Valley, California (at approximate coordinates 33'133.889N, 116'91.9722"W).
The pilot was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The certificated commercial pilot and private pilot sustained serious injuries. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. The local personal flight departed Montgomery Field Airport, San Diego, California, about 13:00 PDT. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The pilots reported departing Montgomery Field about 1 1/2 hours prior to the accident. They flew to Ramona Airport, Ramona, California, where the private pilot performed traffic pattern practice. They then departed to a practice area near Valley Center. After stopping for a break, the commercial pilot took the controls of the helicopter with the intention of performing a pinnacle landing on a large rock. The pilot stated that he was not familiar with the area, so he circled the intended landing zone, and made a slow descent. As they approached the landing zone at an altitude of between 50 and 75 feet agl, the pilot heard a popping sound followed by "silence." The nose of the helicopter then dropped, and the pilot stated that he assumed the engine had failed. He then lowered the collective and performed an autorotation. During the landing sequence, the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, and the tailboom separated midspan.
Probable Cause: The failure of the engine’s camshaft due to fatigue of unknown origin.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: WPR09LA460 at https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20090921X00617&ntsbno=WPR09LA460&akey=1
2. FAA Registration: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=N4174P
3. http://helihub.com/2009/09/20/20-sep-09-n4174p-robinson-r44-santa-ysabel-us-california/
4. http://www.760kfmb.com/Global/story.asp?S=11165038
5. http://www.bmxnews.com/2009/09/copter-crashes-hours-after-chula-flyover/
6. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=50642
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Sep-2009 10:49 | slowkid | Added |
| 21-Sep-2009 10:52 | slowkid | Updated |
| 10-Jun-2010 11:16 | harro | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 02-Dec-2017 16:17 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Nov-2018 19:10 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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