# Accident 20150201004979A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Calexico, CA, February 1, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 1, 2015, 00:30 local time
- Place: Calexico, CA
- Airport: Calexico
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: XJZG
- Location: 32.6764° N, 115.4186° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.6764&lon=-115.4186&mi=10
- Aircraft: N510KJ (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 583 total, 583 in this make and model, 40 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR15LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR15LA096) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150201004979A

## Narrative

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

PILOT WAS PERFORMING "P" TURNS AND STARTED TO GAIN ALTITUDE. PILOT STATED THAT WHILE GAINING ALTITUDE, HE LOST RPM AND AIRSPEED. PILOT STATED THAT HE LOWERED COLLECTIVE AND ROLLED THROTTLE ON, AND TURNED WEST TO AVOID POWER LINES. PILOT FLARED AIRCRAFT AND MADE HARD LANDING. UPON LANDING, AIRCRAFT ROLLED OVER ONTO RIGHT SIDE. PILOT THEN TURNED OFF MASTER POWER AND EGRESSED THE AIRCRAFT.

ON MARCH 6, 2015, ASSISTED THE NTSB INVESTIGATOR WITH THE HELICOPTER AND ENGINE EXAMINATION. CONTROL CONTINUITY WAS ESTABLISHED FROM THE CABIN CONTROLS TO SWASHPLATE AND TAIL ROTOR CONTROL ROD. A TEST RUN WAS PERFORMED ON THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE STARTED AND RAN SMOOTHLY. THROTTLE BURSTS WERE APPLIED AND A MAGNETO CHECK WAS PERFORMED. THE ENGINE REVEALED NO ANOMALIES.

## 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 WPR15LA096](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR15LA096), Feb 1, 2015: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N510KJ), Calexico, CA, substantial damage. Probable cause: A partial loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal…

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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