20150914015959A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Alice, TX · September 14, 2015

Date
September 14, 2015 · 15:31 local
Place
Alice, TX
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N442CF
NTSB investigation
NTSBCEN15LA439
Reported as
Robinson Helicopter R44 II
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
687 total677 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days

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.

During practice auto rotations to a hover the pilot misjudged height and contacted the ground. The vertical and horizontal loads on the aircraft seperated the skids from the aircraft and the aircraft recieved substantial damage coming to a rest on its side.

As the FAA filed it

DURING PRACTICE AUTO ROTATIONS TO A HOVER THE PILOT MISJUDGED HEIGHT AND CONTACTED THE GROUND. THE VERTICAL AND HORIZONTAL LOADS ON THE AIRCRAFT SEPERATED THE SKIDS FROM THE AIRCRAFT AND THE AIRCRAFT RECIEVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE COMING TO A REST ON ITS SIDE.

NTSB investigation

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