20081204852909I

Incident · No damage

FAA incident report · Robsin R22 BETA · Portland, OR · December 4, 2008

Date: December 4, 2008 · 20:00 local
Place: Portland, OR
Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: No damage
Aircraft: N7155W
Reported as: Robsin R22BETA
Pilot’s flight hours: 100 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days

N7155WRegistered now · Robinson Helicopter R22 BETAS/N 2759 · Built 1997 Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R22 BETA Engine modelLycoming 0-360-C1FReciprocating

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.

The pilot of N7155W contacted Portland approach for flight following to troutdale airport (ttd). When asked intentions pilot requested to go to ttd and controller issued heading away from Portland (pdx) class charlie airspace. Pilot encountered weather difficulty with limited visibility below an overcast layer and was not able to continue northbound. The radar contact was intermittent due to the low altitude of the helicopter. The controller informed the supervisor and pdx tower he was declaring an emergency and departures from pdx were stopped. The pilot was unable to proceed to and did not have pdx in sight so the controller issued directions to pearson airport (vuo). The pilot was able to get a visual of vuo and was able to land there without further incident.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT OF N7155W CONTACTED PORTLAND APPROACH FOR FLIGHT FOLLOWING TO TROUTDALE AIRPORT (TTD). WHEN ASKED INTENTIONS PILOT REQUESTED TO GO TO TTD AND CONTROLLER ISSUED HEADING AWAY FROM PORTLAND (PDX) CLASS CHARLIE AIRSPACE. PILOT ENCOUNTERED WEATHER DIFFICULTY WITH LIMITED VISIBILITY BELOW AN OVERCAST LAYER AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONTINUE NORTHBOUND. THE RADAR CONTACT WAS INTERMITTENT DUE TO THE LOW ALTITUDE OF THE HELICOPTER. THE CONTROLLER INFORMED THE SUPERVISOR AND PDX TOWER HE WAS DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND DEPARTURES FROM PDX WERE STOPPED. THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO PROCEED TO AND DID NOT HAVE PDX IN SIGHT SO THE CONTROLLER ISSUED DIRECTIONS TO PEARSON AIRPORT (VUO). THE PILOT WAS ABLE TO GET A VISUAL OF VUO AND WAS ABLE TO LAND THERE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.