# Accident 20080705839879A: Robsin R44RAVENII, Spring Branch, TX, July 5, 2008

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 5, 2008, 17:10 local time
- Place: Spring Branch, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hovering
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.9169° N, 98.3056° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.9169&lon=-98.3056&mi=10
- Aircraft: N804DF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N804DF-2019-11-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (registry code 7640122, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Continental IO-540 series (registry code 17051, https://openairdocs.org/engine/continental-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBSIN R44RAVENII
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 731 total, 113 in this make and model, 49 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DFW08CA177](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08CA177) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080705839879A

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON JULY 5, 2008, AT APPROXIMATELY 1600 CDT, A ROBINSON R44 HELICOPTER, N804DF, SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WHEN IT LANDED HARD AFTER LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS.  THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WERE NOT INJURED.  THE BACK SEAT PASSENGER SUSTAINED A BRUISED FOOT.  VISUAL METEORLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED.  NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE 14 CFR PART 91 PHOTOGRAPHY FLIGHT.  THE HELICOPTER WAS HOVERING OER THE PHOTOGRAPHER'S PROPERTY IN WHEN IT BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND SPIN.  THE HELICOPTER LANDED HARD AND SPLIT THE SKIDS.

## 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 DFW08CA177](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DFW08CA177), Jul 5, 2008: Robinson R44 II (N804DF), Canyon Lake, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: A total loss of tail rotor effectiveness. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's improper decision to operate inside the height velocity curve.

## Other reports on N804DF (2)

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

- [Accident 20170219001049A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170219001049A), Feb 19, 2017: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II (N804DF), Spofford, TX, Substantial damage. Airman hovered an R-44 helicopter inside a hangar with the intent of repositioning outside the hangar for a flight to another airfield. Aircraft rotor system…
- [Accident 20150716014379A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150716014379A), Jul 16, 2015: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II (N804DF), Fentress, TX, Substantial damage. After conducting a downwind manuvering turn the low rotor RPM alert came on. Due to low altitude the pilot was unable to recover and made a hard landing from…

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.