# Accident 20040829026949A: Robsin R22BETA, Northport, NY, August 29, 2004

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 29, 2004, 18:00 local time
- Place: Northport, NY
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 40.9283° N, 73.3417° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.9283&lon=-73.3417&mi=10
- Aircraft: N871CL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N871CL-2017-03-10) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA (registry code 7640110, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r22-beta) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-320 series (registry code 41508, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-320-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBSIN R22BETA
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Pilot flight hours: 325 total, 241 in this make and model, 117 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC04FA197](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04FA197) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20040829026949A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) AT APPROXIMATELY 1800 LOCAL TIME, AUGUST 29, 2004, A ROBINSON R-22-BETA, N871CL, CRASHED IN APPROXIMATELY THREE FEET OF WATER NEAR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, NORTHPORT, NEW YORK. THERE WERE TWO PILOTS ON BOARD. BOTH SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS TRAVELING ALONG THE SHORELINE. AT WHICH TIME THEY HEARD A LOUD "BANG AND OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT SPINNING AND DESCENDING. SEVERAL WITNESSES STATED THAT THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE IT IMPACTED THE WATER. SUFFOLK COUNTY HARBOR UNIT RECOVERED HELICOPTER, MAIN ROTOR ASSEMBLY WAS NOT ATTACHED TO AIRCRAFT AND UNABLE TO LOCATE AT THIS TIME.

## 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 NYC04FA197](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC04FA197), Aug 29, 2004: Robinson R-22 (N871CL), Northport, NY, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: An improper maneuver by the flightcrew while attempting to avoid a kite, which resulted in mast bumping, the separation of the main rotor system, and a subsequent uncontrolled descent into water.

## Other reports on N871CL (1)

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

- [Incident 19880617037659I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19880617037659I), Jun 17, 1988: Robsin R22BETA (N871CL), Kerrville, TX, Minor damage. Bird strike on the tail rotor on climbout and a damaged skid on a hard autorotation landing was the result.

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.

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