20120119001929A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Franklin, LA · January 19, 2012

Date
January 19, 2012 · 09:00 local
Place
Franklin, LA
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N369TL
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN12FA139
Reported as
Robinson Helicopter R44 II
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540 series
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
2
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
8,700 total350 in this make and model75 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.

Pilot was flying aircraft at a slow airspeed and low altitude in a left turn, hit a tree with the main rotor blades and crashed. There was a post crash fire that completely destroyed the helicopter.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS FLYING AIRCRAFT AT A SLOW AIRSPEED AND LOW ALTITUDE IN A LEFT TURN, HIT A TREE WITH THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES AND CRASHED. THERE WAS A POST CRASH FIRE THAT COMPLETELY DESTROYED THE HELICOPTER.

NTSB investigation

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