# Accident 20150914015959A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Alice, TX, September 14, 2015

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 14, 2015, 15:31 local time
- Place: Alice, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.7498° N, 98.0603° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.7498&lon=-98.0603&mi=10
- Aircraft: N442CF, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N442CF-2019-01-31) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (registry code 7640122, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 (registry code 41899, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-ae1a5) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540-AE1A5
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 687 total, 677 in this make and model, 1 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN15LA439](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15LA439) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20150914015959A

## Narrative

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

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.

## 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 CEN15LA439](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN15LA439), Sep 14, 2015: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N442CF), Alice, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: A loss of engine power during a practice power recovery autorotation for reasons that could not be determined based on the available information.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.