# Accident 19990623024119A: Robsin R22, Hurricane, WV, June 23, 1999 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: June 23, 1999, 19:35 local time - Place: Hurricane, WV - Airport: Private - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Fcd/Prec Ldg From Cruise - Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91) - Location: 38.4295° N, 82.0109° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.4295&lon=-82.0109&mi=10 - Aircraft: N9070F, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N9070F-2017-05-23) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R22 (registry code 7640102, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r22) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: ROBSIN R22 - Reported engine: LYC O320B2C - People aboard: 1 - Fatal injuries: 1 - Pilot flight hours: 1,900 total, 100 in this make and model - NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC99FA157](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99FA157) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990623024119A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. NO PRELIMINARY ACCIDENT NARRATIVE AVAILABLE. (.4)A WITNESS OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER AT APPROXIMATELY 200 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL) AND THEN DESCEND TO APPROXIMATELY 60 FEET AGL. THE WITNESS STATED THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS MAKING A 'POPPING NOISE,' AND WOBBLING BACK AND FORTH, AND SIDE TO SIDE FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS. THE WITNESS ALSO STATED THAT HE COULD SEE THE HELICOPTER'S MAIN ROTOR BLADES SLOWING DOWN. THE HELICOPTER THEN 'NOSE DIVED' TOWARDS THE GROUND. THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED IN A DRY CREEK BED AND CAME TO REST ON IT'S LEFT SIDE. ONE MAIN ROTOR BLADED WAS FOUND CURVED UPWARD AND CONTAINED BLUE AND WHITE PAINT TRANSFER. IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THE HELICOPTER TAIL BOOM IS PAINTED BLUE AND WHITE. A 12,000 VOLT ELECTRICAL WIRE SYSTEM WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 37 FEET ABOVE THE MAIN WRECKAGE AND ONE OF THE WIRES HAD BEEN SEVERED. THE HELICOPTER HAD BEEN OPERATED FOR ABOUT 1 HOUR SINCE AN ANNUAL INSPECTION HAD BEEN PERFORMED 5 DAYS PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT; ABOUT 70 HOURS SINCE DECEMBER 1994; AND ABOUT 2,070 HOURS SINCE IT WAS LAST OVERHAULED IN 1992. THE HELICOPTER WAS FUELED WITH AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE. A SUPPLEMENTAL TYPE CERTIFICATE (STC) FOR TH E USE OF AUTOMOTIVE GASOLINE FOR THE ACCIDENT HELICOPTER WAS AVAILABLE; HOWEVER, EXAMINATION OF THE HELICOPTER'S MAINTENANCE RECORDS DID NOT REVEAL THAT AN STC HAD BEEN OBTAIANED FOR THE USE OF AUTOMOTIVE GOSOLINE. THE ENGINE WAS TEST RUN AND IT OPERATED SATISFACTORILY. EXAMINATION FO THE WRECKAGE DID NOT REVEAL ANY PRE-IMPACT MALFUNACTIONS OF THE AIRFRAME OR ENGINE. REVIEW OF THE FAA 'CARURETOR ICING PROBABILITY CHART' PLACED THE REPORTED TEMPERATURE AND DEWPOINT IN THE 'SERIOUS ICING AT GLIDE POWER' AREA. ADDITIONALLY, EXMINATION OF THE ENGINE LOW OIL PRESSURE LIGHT BULB FILAMNET FROM THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL REVEALED SOME ELONGATION OF THE FILAMENT. (-23)NTSB ID NYC99FA157 ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB NYC99FA157](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99FA157), Jun 23, 1999: Robinson R-22 (N9070F), Hurricane, WV, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: A loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to maintain rotor rpm and the transmission wires. ## Other reports on N9070F (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Accident 19870429021689A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19870429021689A), Apr 29, 1987: Robsin R22 (N9070F), Willimantic, CT, Substantial damage. Collided with the ground during a practice autorotated landing. Student allowed rotor decay. CFI failed correction. From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.