# Accident 20190928022409A: Robinson Helicopter R44, Sanford, ME, September 28, 2019

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 28, 2019, 10:10 local time
- Place: Sanford, ME
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.3939° N, 70.7081° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.3939&lon=-70.7081&mi=10
- Aircraft: N21EH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N21EH-2020-02-13) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 (registry code 7640120, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming 0-540 series (registry code 41532, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-0-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44
- Reported engine: LYCOMING 0-540 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot, student
- Pilot flight hours: 50 total, 50 in this make and model
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA19LA287](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19LA287) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20190928022409A

## Narrative

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

PILOT WHO WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED DOES NOT REMEMBER THE EVENTS OF THE ACCIDENT. A WITNESS STATED THAT HE OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER MANEUVERING NEAR THE AREA OF THE WINDSOCK BUT COULD NOT TELL FROM THE DISTANCE HE WAS AT IF THE HELICOPTER WAS MANEUVERING OVER THE PAVED RUNWAY OR ON THE GRASS. HE OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER WILDLY ROTATE LEFT AND RIGHT AND SPIN COMPLETELY AROUND EITHER ONE OR TWO FULL REVOLUTIONS, HE THEN OBSERVED THE HELICOPTER CLIMB AND THEN STATED THAT THE TAIL WENT ALMOST VERTICAL AND THE HELICOPTER CRASHED TO THE GROUND.

## 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 ERA19LA287](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19LA287), Sep 28, 2019: Robinson R44 (N21EH), Sanford, ME, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control while hover-taxiing in gusting wind conditions.

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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