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19980702015889A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Robsin R44 · Cassville, MO · July 2, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 2, 1998 · 14:15 local
Place
Cassville, MO
Phase of flight
Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N8329B
NTSB investigation
NTSBCHI98LA239
Reported as
Robsin R44
Reported engine
Lycoming VO540*
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
4,700 total38 in the last 90 days
N8329BRegistration cancelled Dec 24, 2003 · Robinson Helicopter R44S/N 0219 · Built 1995Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R44Engine modelLycoming 0-540 seriesReciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Helicopter was attempting to land due to bad weather, struck a power line and crashed, Cassville, MO. (.4)the pilot and his passenger were enroute to their destination when they became aware that they were approaching a line of thunderstorms from behind. The pilot decided to make a precautionary landing due to the convective weather in the area and wait for the line of thunderstorms to move further from their route. During approach to the landing area, the aircraft struck a power line, approximately 35' above ground level (AGL), and the pilot executed a run-on landing. The aircraft impacted the ground resulting in substantial damage to the landing skids, rotor blades, and tail boom. The pilot stated that he was aware of the thunderstorms from watching a television weather broadcast, but thought the line of storms had moved past his route of flight when he had made his departure. There were no flight service station (fss) or direct user access terminal system (duats) pilot briefings given for the aircraft in question. The pilot stated that there were no aircraft mechanical problems related to the accident. (-23) while enroute, PIC experienced deteriorating weather conditions and elected to make a landing at the roaring river state park. On short final to a clearing, the aircraft's main rotor contacted a power and telephone line about 30 feet AGL. Rotor RPM decayed and aircraft fell vertical, distorting the landing skids and tail rotor assembly. There was no post-crash fire. PIC and passenger received injuries sufficient to remain overnight in a local hospital. (.19) on July 2, 1998, at 1415 central daylight time (CDT), a Robinson R44, N8329B, piloted by a private pilot, received substantial damage when it contacted wires and impacted the ground during a precautionary landing, in the roaring river state park, near Cassville, Missouri. The pilot stated that the precautionary landing was attempted due to deteriorating weather in the area, resulting from thunderstorms, lightning, and lowered visibility. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The personal 14 CFR part 91 cross country flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot and one passenger reported minor injuries. The flight depart ed near tulsa, Oklahoma, at time unknown, with the intended destination of m. graham clark airport, near point lookout, Missouri.

As the FAA filed it

HELICOPTER WAS ATTEMPTING TO LAND DUE TO BAD WEATHER, STRUCK A POWER LINE AND CRASHED, CASSVILLE, MO. (.4)THE PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE ENROUTE TO THEIR DESTINATION WHEN THEY BECAME AWARE THAT THEY WERE APPROACHING A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS FROM BEHIND. THE PILOT DECIDED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING DUE TO THE CONVECTIVE WEATHER IN THE AREA AND WAIT FOR THE LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS TO MOVE FURTHER FROM THEIR ROUTE. DURING APPROACH TO THE LANDING AREA, THE AIRCRAFT STRUCK A POWER LINE, APPROXIMATELY 35' ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL), AND THE PILOT EXECUTED A RUN-ON LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED THE GROUND RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE LANDING SKIDS, ROTOR BLADES, AND TAIL BOOM. THE PILOT STATED THAT HE WAS AWARE OF THE THUNDERSTORMS FROM WATCHING A TELEVISION WEATHER BROADCAST, BUT THOUGHT THE LINE OF STORMS HAD MOVED PAST HIS ROUTE OF FLIGHT WHEN HE HAD MADE HIS DEPARTURE. THERE WERE NO FLIGHT SERVICE STATION (FSS) OR DIRECT USER ACCESS TERMINAL SYSTEM (DUATS) PILOT BRIEFINGS GIVEN FOR THE AIRCRAFT IN QUESTION. THE PILOT STATED THAT THERE WERE NO AIRCRAFT MECHANICAL PROBLEMS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT. (-23) WHILE ENROUTE, PIC EXPERIENCED DETERIORATING WEATHER CONDITIONS AND ELECTED TO MAKE A LANDING AT THE ROARING RIVER STATE PARK. ON SHORT FINAL TO A CLEARING, THE AIRCRAFT'S MAIN ROTOR CONTACTED A POWER AND TELEPHONE LINE ABOUT 30 FEET AGL. ROTOR RPM DECAYED AND AIRCRAFT FELL VERTICAL, DISTORTING THE LANDING SKIDS AND TAIL ROTOR ASSEMBLY. THERE WAS NO POST-CRASH FIRE. PIC AND PASSENGER RECEIVED INJURIES SUFFICIENT TO REMAIN OVERNIGHT IN A LOCAL HOSPITAL. (.19) ON JULY 2, 1998, AT 1415 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME (CDT), A ROBINSON R44, N8329B, PILOTED BY A PRIVATE PILOT, RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN IT CONTACTED WIRES AND IMPACTED THE GROUND DURING A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING, IN THE ROARING RIVER STATE PARK, NEAR CASSVILLE, MISSOURI. THE PILOT STATED THAT THE PRECAUTIONARY LANDING WAS ATTEMPTED DUE TO DETERIORATING WEATHER IN THE AREA, RESULTING FROM THUNDERSTORMS, LIGHTNING, AND LOWERED VISIBILITY. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT. THE PERSONAL 14 CFR PART 91 CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT WAS NOT OPERATING ON A FLIGHT PLAN. THE PILOT AND ONE PASSENGER REPORTED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT DEPART ED NEAR TULSA, OKLAHOMA, AT TIME UNKNOWN, WITH THE INTENDED DESTINATION OF M. GRAHAM CLARK AIRPORT, NEAR POINT LOOKOUT, MISSOURI.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB CHI98LA239Accident · Minor injuriesLimited investigationFinal reportCassville, MOThe pilot in command's inadequate preflight planning/preparation and weather evaluation that resulted in flight into adverse weather conditions. Factors to the accident were a preflight briefing service not being used and the transmission wire.Jul 2, 1998 · Substantial damage

Other reports on N8329B · 1

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

Accident 20030717016869AAutorot Descent (Rotorcraft) · Flagstaff, AZ(-23) While cruising @ 900' (AGL) approx. 29 miles se of Flagstaff, AZ, heading to payson, AZ, the pilot lost power and entered autorotation. The helicopter fell into trees on the uphill side of them, but remained suspended in the trees, never impacting the…Jul 17, 2003 · Substantial damage