# Accident 20160327004029A: Robinson Helicopter R44, Greene Township, PA, March 27, 2016

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 27, 2016, 11:30 local time
- Place: Greene Township, PA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 41.2506° N, 75.2192° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.2506&lon=-75.2192&mi=10
- Aircraft: N776JM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N776JM-2017-08-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 (registry code 7640120, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-540-F1B5 (registry code 42353, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-540-f1b5) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-540-F1B5
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,331 total, 449 in this make and model, 7 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA16FA143](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16FA143) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160327004029A

## Narrative

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

THE FLIGHT DEPARTED DOYLESTOWN AIRPORT (DYL) ABOUT 1100 EDT, DESTINED FOR MOUNTAIN BAY AIRPARK (PA49), ABOUT 60 MILES TO THE NORTH. ABOUT 1135 EDT THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED A WOODED AREA OF AN EAST-WEST ORIENTED RIDGELINE, ABOUT 20 FEET BELOW THE TOP OF THE RIDGE AND ABOUT 2,000 FEET ABOVE MEAN SEA LEVEL. THE WRECKAGE PATH PROCEEDED DOWNHILL ALONG A HEADING OF ABOUT 325 DEGREES MAGNETIC AND WAS ABOUT 175 FEET LONG. ALL MAJOR COMPONENTS OF THE HELICOPTER WERE LOCATED AT THE ACCIDENT SITE. THE WRECKAGE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY FRAGMENTED AND CONSUMED BY A POST-CRASH FIRE.  THE REPORTED WEATHER INCLUDED AN OVERCAST CEILING AT 300 FEET WITH 7 STATUTE MILES OF VISIBILITY. THE TEMPERATURE WAS 4 DEGREES C, THE DEW POINT WAS 3 DEGREES C. AN AIRMEN'S METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION WARNING OF MOUNTAIN OBSCURATION WAS IN EFFECT FOR THE ACCIDENT AREA AT THE TIME. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.

## 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 ERA16FA143](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA16FA143), Mar 27, 2016: Robinson R44 (N776JM), Canadensis, PA, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's loss of control due to spatial disorientation, which occurred after ascending in order to clear rising terrain and inadvertently entering the clouds.

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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