# Accident 20140624019249A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Nashville, TN, June 24, 2014

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 24, 2014, 12:35 local time
- Place: Nashville, TN
- Airport: John C. Tune Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 36.2069° N, 86.8894° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.2069&lon=-86.8894&mi=10
- Aircraft: N544BS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N544BS-2019-11-12) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (registry code 7640122, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA14LA311](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14LA311) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20140624019249A

## Narrative

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

ON JUNE 24, 2014, ABOUT 1235 CENTRAL DAYLIGHT TIME, A ROBINSON R44 II, N544BS, OPERATED BY A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED DURING AN AUTOROTATION NEAR JOHN C. TUNE AIRPORT IN NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT AND HIS PASSENGER WERE UNINJURED. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT CONDUCTED UNDER TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM JOHN C. TUNE AIRPORT (JWN) NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE AT 1235.

ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, DURING A CROSS COUNTRY FLIGHT FROM FLORIDA TO WISCONSIN HE MADE A FUEL STOP AT JWN. AFTER DEPARTING THE AIRPORT RAMP THE PILOT FLEW NORTH ON A HEADING OF 020 TOWARDS A GROUP OF BROADCAST TOWERS. ABOUT 1.5 NAUTICAL MILES FROM THE AIRPORT AND ABOUT 400 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL, THE PILOT INITIATED A CLIMB TO CLEAR A HILL COVERED BY TALL TREES. THE HELICOPTER WAS FLYING AT ABOUT 70 KNOTS. THE PILOT HEARD "WHAT SEEMED TO BE A BACKFIRE", THEN THE ENGINE STARTED TO RUN "VERY ROUGH", WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY AN ABRUPT LOSS OF ALTITUDE. HE LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE AND THE LOW ROTOR RPM HORN ACTIVATED AND THE LOW ROTOR RPM LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE PILOT THEN TURNED TO THE WEST AND INITIATED AN AUTOROTATION. HE GLANCED AT THE ENGINE/ROTOR RPM GAUGE AND NOTICED THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING ABOUT 70% RPM AND THE ROTOR RPM WAS IN THE GREEN. THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RUN ROUGH. WHILE SEARCHING FOR A SUITABLE LANDING SITE, THE PILOT OBSERVED LIGHT TRAFFIC ON A NEARBY 5 LANE HIGHWAY. FLYING AT ABOUT 60 KNOTS WITH 100% ROTOR RPM, THE PILOT DESCENDED THE HELICOPTER TOWARDS THE HIGHWAY. THE HELICOPTER PASSED OVER 2 SEMI-TRUCKS, AND THE PILOT PULLED COLLECTIVE TO ABOUT 90% ROTOR RPM TO CLEAR WIRES. HE THEN RETARDED THE THROTTLE AND INITIATED A FULL DOWN AUTOROTATION. DURING LANDING THE HELICOPTER DROPPED FROM ABOUT "3 FT.", LANDED IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE, AND THE MAIN ROTOR CONTACTED THE TAIL BOOM.

## 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 ERA14LA311](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA14LA311), Jun 24, 2014: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N544BS), Nashville, TN, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain rotor rpm during an autorotation after a perceived partial loss of power, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was radio frequency…

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.

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