What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
On March 22, 2015, about 1430 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R44 ii helicopter, N30242, impacted a guest house of a two story structure while maneuvering near Orlando, Florida. The private pilot and two passengers were fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to a private individual and operated by hq aviation, Orlando, Florida. The local flight operated under visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight, which departed from executive airport (orl), Orlando, Florida, shortly before the accident. The helicopter impacted a power pole with line transformers before it collided with the building with evidence of a post-accident fire. Preliminary review of air traffic control radar data and voice transcription revealed that the pilot requested a downtown departure. The helicopter departed orl on a westerly heading and approximately 5 minutes into the flight the pilot requested to return to the airport. This was the last recorded transmission from the pilot.
Examination of the accident site revealed that the helicopter impacted the two-story structure about 3 nautical miles northwest of orl on a 360 degree magnetic heading. The wreckage debris field was about 50 yards in circumference, with exception of a significant piece of the rotor blade, in which was located approximately 400 yards from impact. All flight control surfaces were located at the accident site. Examination of the wreckage revealed that a post-impact fire was concentrated within the second story of the structure where the helicopter came to rest. The cockpit/ cabin section of the helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and post-crash fire.
The main rotor assembly and tail boom were within the wreckage debris field identified. Post-accident investigation of the swash plate assembly revealed the left forward push pull tube bolt was missing with no evidence of fretting or failure either on the lower swashplate attachment ear or that the threaded bolt dislodged from the assembly. The main rotor blades were examined and show no evidence of catastrophic failure but rather impact damage from the trees, utility poles and building structure already identified. Any concerns with the blades under a recent safety alert have been alleviated with lab tests performed.
The engine was suspended from a lift and partially disassembled to facilitate the examination. The exterior surfaces of the engine exhibited soot and thermal damage from the post-impact fire. The bottom of the oil sump was fractured and fire damaged. The fuel injector servo was separated from the sump and was not observed. The engine was rotated by the cooling fan and continuity of the crankshaft to the rear gears and valve train confirmed. Compression and suction were observed from all four cylinders. The interiors of the cylinders were examined with no anomalies noted. The aircraft was transported to jacksonville for storage and further inspection if needed.
As the FAA filed it
ON MARCH 22, 2015, ABOUT 1430 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A ROBINSON R44 II HELICOPTER, N30242, IMPACTED A GUEST HOUSE OF A TWO STORY STRUCTURE WHILE MANEUVERING NEAR ORLANDO, FLORIDA. THE PRIVATE PILOT AND TWO PASSENGERS WERE FATALLY INJURED, AND THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED. THE HELICOPTER WAS REGISTERED TO A PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL AND OPERATED BY HQ AVIATION, ORLANDO, FLORIDA. THE LOCAL FLIGHT OPERATED UNDER VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE PERSONAL FLIGHT, WHICH DEPARTED FROM EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (ORL), ORLANDO, FLORIDA, SHORTLY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED A POWER POLE WITH LINE TRANSFORMERS BEFORE IT COLLIDED WITH THE BUILDING WITH EVIDENCE OF A POST-ACCIDENT FIRE. PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL RADAR DATA AND VOICE TRANSCRIPTION REVEALED THAT THE PILOT REQUESTED A DOWNTOWN DEPARTURE. THE HELICOPTER DEPARTED ORL ON A WESTERLY HEADING AND APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES INTO THE FLIGHT THE PILOT REQUESTED TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT. THIS WAS THE LAST RECORDED TRANSMISSION FROM THE PILOT.
EXAMINATION OF THE ACCIDENT SITE REVEALED THAT THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED THE TWO-STORY STRUCTURE ABOUT 3 NAUTICAL MILES NORTHWEST OF ORL ON A 360 DEGREE MAGNETIC HEADING. THE WRECKAGE DEBRIS FIELD WAS ABOUT 50 YARDS IN CIRCUMFERENCE, WITH EXCEPTION OF A SIGNIFICANT PIECE OF THE ROTOR BLADE, IN WHICH WAS LOCATED APPROXIMATELY 400 YARDS FROM IMPACT. ALL FLIGHT CONTROL SURFACES WERE LOCATED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED THAT A POST-IMPACT FIRE WAS CONCENTRATED WITHIN THE SECOND STORY OF THE STRUCTURE WHERE THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST. THE COCKPIT/ CABIN SECTION OF THE HELICOPTER WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT FORCES AND POST-CRASH FIRE.
THE MAIN ROTOR ASSEMBLY AND TAIL BOOM WERE WITHIN THE WRECKAGE DEBRIS FIELD IDENTIFIED. POST-ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION OF THE SWASH PLATE ASSEMBLY REVEALED THE LEFT FORWARD PUSH PULL TUBE BOLT WAS MISSING WITH NO EVIDENCE OF FRETTING OR FAILURE EITHER ON THE LOWER SWASHPLATE ATTACHMENT EAR OR THAT THE THREADED BOLT DISLODGED FROM THE ASSEMBLY. THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE EXAMINED AND SHOW NO EVIDENCE OF CATASTROPHIC FAILURE BUT RATHER IMPACT DAMAGE FROM THE TREES, UTILITY POLES AND BUILDING STRUCTURE ALREADY IDENTIFIED. ANY CONCERNS WITH THE BLADES UNDER A RECENT SAFETY ALERT HAVE BEEN ALLEVIATED WITH LAB TESTS PERFORMED.
THE ENGINE WAS SUSPENDED FROM A LIFT AND PARTIALLY DISASSEMBLED TO FACILITATE THE EXAMINATION. THE EXTERIOR SURFACES OF THE ENGINE EXHIBITED SOOT AND THERMAL DAMAGE FROM THE POST-IMPACT FIRE. THE BOTTOM OF THE OIL SUMP WAS FRACTURED AND FIRE DAMAGED. THE FUEL INJECTOR SERVO WAS SEPARATED FROM THE SUMP AND WAS NOT OBSERVED. THE ENGINE WAS ROTATED BY THE COOLING FAN AND CONTINUITY OF THE CRANKSHAFT TO THE REAR GEARS AND VALVE TRAIN CONFIRMED. COMPRESSION AND SUCTION WERE OBSERVED FROM ALL FOUR CYLINDERS. THE INTERIORS OF THE CYLINDERS WERE EXAMINED WITH NO ANOMALIES NOTED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TRANSPORTED TO JACKSONVILLE FOR STORAGE AND FURTHER INSPECTION IF NEEDED.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.