# Accident 20180108000559A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Albany, TX, January 8, 2018

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 8, 2018, 13:40 local time
- Place: Albany, TX
- Airport: Albany Municipal Airport
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.7300° N, 99.3094° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.7300&lon=-99.3094&mi=10
- Aircraft: N797JR, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N797JR-2021-02-24) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (registry code 7640122, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- 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
- Pilot flight hours: 3,000 total, 1,900 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN18LA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA069) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20180108000559A

## Narrative

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

JANUARY 8, 2018, AT APPROXIMATELY 1340 LOCAL, N797JR,  A ROBINSON R44 HELICOPTER EXPERIENCING POSSIBLE ROTOR MOTOR FAILURE STRUCK A GROUP OF TREES NEAR ALBANY, TEXAS.  THE HELICOPTER WAS ON PERSONEL USE FLIGHT.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED.  THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND PILOT SUSTAINED NO INJURIES.  FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM ALBANY, TEXAS MUNICIPAL AIRPORT ON JANUARY 8, 2018, AT APPROXIMATELY 0730 LOCAL.

## 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 CEN18LA069](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN18LA069), Jan 8, 2018: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N797JR), Albany, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: A loss of helicopter control for reasons that could not be determined because postaccident examination did not reveal any evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures of the main rotor and tail…

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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