20131023021409I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 · Overland Park, KS · October 23, 2013

Date: October 23, 2013 · 15:30 local
Place: Overland Park, KS
Phase of flight: Maneuver
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N7119U
Reported as: Robinson Helicopter R44
Reported engine: Lycoming 0-540 series
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 0
Pilot’s certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours: 2,042 total1,074 in this make and model359 in the last 90 days

N7119URegistered now · Robinson Helicopter R44S/N 0641 · Built 1999 Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R44 Engine modelLycoming 0-540 seriesReciprocating

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.

While manuevering at 65-70 knots and approximately 600 to 700 feet AGL the pilot heard a loud bang from the engine. The pilot responded by lowering the collective and entered an auto rotation profile. The pilot then raised the collective to see how the engine would perform and the engine did not respond as expected even though it continued to run. The pilot elected to make a precautionary landing and selected what appeared to be a elevated grassy area. The tall vegetation concealed the extremely uneven, rough ground. The degraded engine power output, coupled with the tall vegetation prevented the helicopter from maintaining flight in ground effect, resulting in an accelerated sink rate into the vegetation and rough terrain.

As the FAA filed it

WHILE MANUEVERING AT 65-70 KNOTS AND APPROXIMATELY 600 TO 700 FEET AGL THE PILOT HEARD A LOUD BANG FROM THE ENGINE. THE PILOT RESPONDED BY LOWERING THE COLLECTIVE AND ENTERED AN AUTO ROTATION PROFILE. THE PILOT THEN RAISED THE COLLECTIVE TO SEE HOW THE ENGINE WOULD PERFORM AND THE ENGINE DID NOT RESPOND AS EXPECTED EVEN THOUGH IT CONTINUED TO RUN. THE PILOT ELECTED TO MAKE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AND SELECTED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A ELEVATED GRASSY AREA. THE TALL VEGETATION CONCEALED THE EXTREMELY UNEVEN, ROUGH GROUND. THE DEGRADED ENGINE POWER OUTPUT, COUPLED WITH THE TALL VEGETATION PREVENTED THE HELICOPTER FROM MAINTAINING FLIGHT IN GROUND EFFECT, RESULTING IN AN ACCELERATED SINK RATE INTO THE VEGETATION AND ROUGH TERRAIN.