20130602010539I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Sand Springs, OK · June 2, 2013

Date: June 2, 2013 · 11:20 local
Place: Sand Springs, OK
Phase of flight: Climb
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N464E
Reported as: Robinson Helicopter R44 II
Reported engine: Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Airline transport, commercial pilot, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours: 3,893 total81 in this make and model43 in the last 90 days

N464ERegistration cancelled May 30, 2018 · Robinson Helicopter R44 IIS/N 11834 · Built 2007 Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R44 II Engine modelLycoming IO-540-AE1A5Reciprocating

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.

During the return leg of a sight seeing flight the Robinson R-44II helicopter ditched in lake approximately 50 yards from shoreline after experiencing an undetermined loss of power. The helicopter settled into the water and was rolled to the left and began to sink in a tail low manner. All occupants exited through the r/h doors and were picked up by a fisherman in the immediate area. The helicopter sank in approximately 65 feet of water. The helicopter was retrieved from the lake and transported back to the owners hanger. After inspection the engine was found to rotate only approximately 180 degrees and stop and turned the opposite direction the same was noted. The 2A breaker for the governor was found tripped but it could not be determined if it may have been due to water submersion.

As the FAA filed it

DURING THE RETURN LEG OF A SIGHT SEEING FLIGHT THE ROBINSON R-44II HELICOPTER DITCHED IN LAKE APPROXIMATELY 50 YARDS FROM SHORELINE AFTER EXPERIENCING AN UNDETERMINED LOSS OF POWER. THE HELICOPTER SETTLED INTO THE WATER AND WAS ROLLED TO THE LEFT AND BEGAN TO SINK IN A TAIL LOW MANNER. ALL OCCUPANTS EXITED THROUGH THE R/H DOORS AND WERE PICKED UP BY A FISHERMAN IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA. THE HELICOPTER SANK IN APPROXIMATELY 65 FEET OF WATER. THE HELICOPTER WAS RETRIEVED FROM THE LAKE AND TRANSPORTED BACK TO THE OWNERS HANGER. AFTER INSPECTION THE ENGINE WAS FOUND TO ROTATE ONLY APPROXIMATELY 180 DEGREES AND STOP AND TURNED THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION THE SAME WAS NOTED. THE 2A BREAKER FOR THE GOVERNOR WAS FOUND TRIPPED BUT IT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED IF IT MAY HAVE BEEN DUE TO WATER SUBMERSION.