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20150102001609A

Accident · Destroyed
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FAA accident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Barranquitas, PR · January 2, 2015

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
January 2, 2015 · 16:40 local
Place
Barranquitas, PR
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Destroyed
Aircraft
N3183T
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA15CA089
Reported as
Robinson Helicopter R44 II
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
443 total36 in this make and model59 in the last 90 days
N3183TRegistration cancelled May 8, 2017 · Robinson Helicopter R44 IIS/N 11550 · Built 2007Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R44 IIEngine 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.

On January 02, 2015 at approximately 21:18Z, a Robinson helicopter R-44II (N3183T) was substantially destroyed after the pilot try to land on a private field in Barranquitas, PR. The PIC informed that when he was ready to land, he touch down the aircraft light on skids then he moved the cyclic forward, then the helicopter pitch forwards. Then the pilot moved the cyclic backwards to the previous angle and the helicopter pitched backwards and then suddenly the pilot heard a big noise on the back of the helicopter with a vibration on the cockpit. He immediately the pilot pull the collective and rolled the throttle to maximum but the helicopter start to spin clockwise out of the landing spot which he couldn?t stop applying full left pedal. He leveled the helicopter still spinning and tries to make it back to the landing spot but there was not enough power to keep the helicopter in the air and the left skid hit the ground and the helicopter rolled to the left. The pilot cut off the mixture of the engine and all switches. None of the passenger suffered a big injure.

As the FAA filed it

ON JANUARY 02, 2015 AT APPROXIMATELY 21:18Z, A ROBINSON HELICOPTER R-44II (N3183T) WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DESTROYED AFTER THE PILOT TRY TO LAND ON A PRIVATE FIELD IN BARRANQUITAS, PR. THE PIC INFORMED THAT WHEN HE WAS READY TO LAND, HE TOUCH DOWN THE AIRCRAFT LIGHT ON SKIDS THEN HE MOVED THE CYCLIC FORWARD, THEN THE HELICOPTER PITCH FORWARDS. THEN THE PILOT MOVED THE CYCLIC BACKWARDS TO THE PREVIOUS ANGLE AND THE HELICOPTER PITCHED BACKWARDS AND THEN SUDDENLY THE PILOT HEARD A BIG NOISE ON THE BACK OF THE HELICOPTER WITH A VIBRATION ON THE COCKPIT. HE IMMEDIATELY THE PILOT PULL THE COLLECTIVE AND ROLLED THE THROTTLE TO MAXIMUM BUT THE HELICOPTER START TO SPIN CLOCKWISE OUT OF THE LANDING SPOT WHICH HE COULDN?T STOP APPLYING FULL LEFT PEDAL. HE LEVELED THE HELICOPTER STILL SPINNING AND TRIES TO MAKE IT BACK TO THE LANDING SPOT BUT THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH POWER TO KEEP THE HELICOPTER IN THE AIR AND THE LEFT SKID HIT THE GROUND AND THE HELICOPTER ROLLED TO THE LEFT. THE PILOT CUT OFF THE MIXTURE OF THE ENGINE AND ALL SWITCHES. NONE OF THE PASSENGER SUFFERED A BIG INJURE.

NTSB investigation

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

NTSB ERA15CA089Accident · Minor injuriesData collectionFinal reportBarranquitas, PRThe pilot's failure to maintain control of the helicopter while landing which resulted in a tailrotor ground strike and collision with terrain.Jan 2, 2015 · Substantial damage