# Accident 20120704012359A: Robinson Helicopter R44, Tallahassee, FL, July 4, 2012

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 4, 2012, 03:20 local time
- Place: Tallahassee, FL
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.5581° N, 84.2289° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.5581&lon=-84.2289&mi=10
- Aircraft: N561CH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N561CH-2015-02-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 (registry code 7640120, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-540-F1B5 (registry code 42353, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-540-f1b5) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-540-F1B5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 190 total, 170 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA12LA429](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA12LA429) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120704012359A

## Narrative

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

RECEIVED CLUTCH LIGHT.... THE ROBINSON R-44 EMERGENCY PROCEDURE IS TO PULL THE CB AFTER 7-8 SECONDS WITH THE LIGHT ILLUMINATED.  AS HE REACHED OVER TO PULL THE CB HE FELT "LIGHT IN HIS SEAT" AND LOOKED UP AND WAS IN A NOSE DIVE.  CRASHED IN THE LAKE WHERE IS HOUSE IS LOCATED.

## 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 ERA12LA429](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA12LA429), Jul 4, 2012: Robinson Helicopter R44 (N561CH), Tallahassee, FL, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain awareness of the helicopter’s altitude while attempting to troubleshoot the clutch actuator warning light, which resulted in an inadvertent descent and impact with…

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.