20080108014299A

(-23) ON TUESDAY JANUARY 8, 2008, AT APPROXIMATELY 16:23 EST, A ROBINSON R-22 BETA HELICOPTER N179SH, CRASHED IN THE SURF AT MACARTHUR PARK IN PALM BEACH COUNTY FLORIDA. ACCORDING TO THE REPORT TAKEN BY NORTH PALM BEACH POLICE, THE HELICOPTER WAS FOUND RESTING IN THE WATER ABOUT 40 FEET OFF OF THE SHORE. THE HELICOPTER IS OWNED BY SILVER STATE HELICOPTERS LLC OF NORTH LAS VEGAS NEVADA. THE HOBBS TIME ON THE HELICOPTER READS 521.3 HOURS. THE PILOT IN COMMAND HOLDS A STUDENT PILOT CERTIFICATE. ON JANUARY 18, 2008 ON ABOUT 10:15 AM, INSPECTORS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ VISITED THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ AT HIS HOME LOCATED AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. THE PURPOSE OF THE MEETING WAS TO INTERVIEW THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REGARDING THE JANUARY 8TH HELICOPTER ACCIDENT WHILE HE WAS THE SOLE PILOT ON BOARD. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE WAS ON HIS FIRST HELICOPTER SOLO CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT TO TAKE PLACE ON A FLIGHT PLAN, AND THE ROUTING WAS FXE-PHK-SUA-FXE. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IS TAKING HELICOPTER FLIGHT INSTRUCTION WITH SILVER STATE HELICOPTERS WITH A FACILITY LOCATED AT FXE. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IS HIS USUAL FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR. ON THE DAY OF THE ACCIDENT, SILVER STATE HELICOPTERS FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REVIEWED THE PILOT'S ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ PLANNED FLIGHT ROUTING AND ACCORDING TO THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SIGNED HIS LOG BOOK AUTHORIZING HIM TO PROCEED WITH THE FLIGHT AS PLANNED. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ DESCRIBED HIS FLIGHT PREPARATIONS INCLUDING THE EXTERNAL WALK AROUND PREFLIGHT, INCLUDING TOPPING OFF BOTH FUEL TANKS WITH FUEL AND TESTING THEM FOR WATER CONTAMINATION. HE ALSO DESCRIBED THE STEPS TAKEN AS HE FOLLOWED THE CHECK LIST UP TO ENGINE START AND WHAT HE NOTICED POST ENGINE START. HE DESCRIBED THE ENGINE TEMPERATURE VERIFICATION IN THE GREEN, THE LEFT/RIGHT MAGNETO CHECK FOR NOT MORE THAN A 7% RPM DROP IN 2 SECONDS, THE CARBURETOR HEAT CHECK, AND LOW ROTOR RMP WARNING CHECK. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ SAID THAT THE HELICOPTER PERFORMED WITHOUT ANY ABNORMALITIES DURING THE FLIGHT TO PHK, WHERE HE PERFORMED A TOUCH AND GO, AND THROUGHOUT THE CONTINUATION OF THE FLIGHT TO SUA. AT SUA, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ GROUND IDLED THE HELICOPTER ENGINE AND CHECKED THE FUEL QUANTITY GAUGES. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED SINCE BOTH FUEL TANKS INDICATED THAT THEY WERE FULL, HE DID NOT PURCHASE FUEL AT SUA BASED ON THE ADVICE OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WHO WAS THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR FOR THAT DAY. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THEN PERFORMED THE PREFLIGHT ENGINE CHECKS, INCLUDING ANOTHER LEFT/RIGHT MAGNETO CHECK, AND REPORTED THAT ALL WAS OK. HE THEN DEPARTED SUA AND WAS FLIGHT PLANNED TO FLY SOUTHBOUND ALONG THE COAST BACK TO FXE. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT MAKING CONTACT WITH PBI APPROACH CONTROL BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY FREQUENCIES USED BY PBI APPROACH. AFTER MAKING A FEW ATTEMPTS TO CONTACT PBI APPROACH FOR COORDINATING HIS SOUTH BOUND TRANSITION, THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ CONTACTED PBI TOWER AND RECEIVED A TRANSPONDER CODE AND INSTRUCTIONS. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED HIS ALTITUDE WAS APPROXIMATELY 500 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL WITH APPROXIMATELY 80 KNOTS AIRSPEED, WHEN WITHIN A FEW MINUTES OF RECEIVING HIS TRANSPONDER CODE, HE NOTICED A CONDITION THAT HE DESCRIBED AS "SETTLING WITH POWER." THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE DID NOT NOTICE ANY ABNORMAL SOUNDS OR VIBRATIONS. THE PILOT DESCRIBED A SLIGHT YAW AND A SLOW SINKING FEELING. HE ATTEMPTED TO ARREST THE SINKING FEEL BY PULLING IN SOME MORE COLLECTIVE, AND HE IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT THE SITUATION DID NOT IMPROVE BUT BECAME WORSE. HE THEN ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED HE REMEMBERED THE WINDS WERE OUT OF 120 DEGREES, SO HE TURNED THE HELICOPTER TO THE LEFT TO ALIGN THE HELICOPTER INTO THE WINDS COMING FROM A 120 DEGREE HEADING. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE ATTEMPTED A FLARE BUT THE ROTOR RPM DID NOT SPIN UP AS EXITED AND WHEN HE PULLED THE COLLECTIVE WHILE LEVELING THE SKIDS, HE HIT THE SURF HARD. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED HE THEN UNLATCHED HIS SEAT BELT, FLOATED OUT OF THE HELICOPTER AND MADE HIS WAY THROUGH THE SURF TO THE BEACH. EVENTUALLY SOME HELP ARRIVED, AND THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ EXPRESSED HE WAS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT CALLING FLIGHT WATCH AND SILVER STATE HELICOPTERS VIA THE TELEPHONE TO COMMUNICATE HIS SITUATION. THE PILOT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED HIS LOG BOOK COULD NOT BE FOUND. HE WAS THEN TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL BY EMERGENCY PERSONNEL.