20090313003189A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Robsin R22BETA · Douglas, AZ · March 13, 2009

Date: March 13, 2009 · 18:00 local
Place: Douglas, AZ
Phase of flight: Ground/Ramp/Ma
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N157SH
NTSB investigation: NTSBWPR09CA155
Reported as: Robsin R22BETA
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,200 total3,200 in this make and model150 in the last 90 days

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.

(-23) The pilot had been out flying his R-22 all day attempting to round up cattle because of a wildfire burning on his property. He states that he had ordered a load of hay be delivered to his property to feed the cattle. After the hay had been off-loaded from the trailer, the pilot decided to land on the trailer so that he could pay the truck driver for the load of hay. He landed successfully on the trailer bed and left the helicopter running. He got out of the helicopter and into the truck cab with the driver to write out a check. He heard a crash and looked outside to find the helicopter had fallen off the left hand side of the trailer bed onto the ground. The helicopter came to rest on its left hand side and had substantial damage to the main and tail rotor blades as well as the landing skids, tailboom, rotor head, and engine deck. Neither the pilot or the truck driver sustained any injuries.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT HAD BEEN OUT FLYING HIS R-22 ALL DAY ATTEMPTING TO ROUND UP CATTLE BECAUSE OF A WILDFIRE BURNING ON HIS PROPERTY. HE STATES THAT HE HAD ORDERED A LOAD OF HAY BE DELIVERED TO HIS PROPERTY TO FEED THE CATTLE. AFTER THE HAY HAD BEEN OFF-LOADED FROM THE TRAILER, THE PILOT DECIDED TO LAND ON THE TRAILER SO THAT HE COULD PAY THE TRUCK DRIVER FOR THE LOAD OF HAY. HE LANDED SUCCESSFULLY ON THE TRAILER BED AND LEFT THE HELICOPTER RUNNING. HE GOT OUT OF THE HELICOPTER AND INTO THE TRUCK CAB WITH THE DRIVER TO WRITE OUT A CHECK. HE HEARD A CRASH AND LOOKED OUTSIDE TO FIND THE HELICOPTER HAD FALLEN OFF THE LEFT HAND SIDE OF THE TRAILER BED ONTO THE GROUND. THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST ON ITS LEFT HAND SIDE AND HAD SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE MAIN AND TAIL ROTOR BLADES AS WELL AS THE LANDING SKIDS, TAILBOOM, ROTOR HEAD, AND ENGINE DECK. NEITHER THE PILOT OR THE TRUCK DRIVER SUSTAINED ANY INJURIES.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB WPR09CA155Accident · No injuriesData collectionFinal reportDouglas, AZThe pilot's failure to properly secure the helicopter prior to exiting the aircraft.Mar 14, 2009 · Substantial damage