# Accident 20200214002529A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Marfa, TX, February 14, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 14, 2020, 11:00 local time
- Place: Marfa, TX
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.9819° N, 104.3869° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.9819&lon=-104.3869&mi=10
- Aircraft: N441KA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N441KA-2020-07-15) (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: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 12,443 total, 448 in this make and model, 51 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN20CA085](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA085) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200214002529A

## Narrative

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

ON FEBRUARY 14, 2020, AT 1100 CST, APPROXIMATELY, A 2005 ROBINSON R-44 ROTORCRAFT HELICOPTER, BEARING N441KA, SERIAL NUMBER 10824, REGISTERED TO WEST TEXAS HELICOPTERS INC., STRUCK A FENCE WITH THE TAIL ROTOR AND RESULTED IN A LOSS OF CONTROL AND HARD LANDING IN A REMOTE AREA 31.63 STATUTE MILES SOUTHWEST OF MARFA, TEXAS.  THE HELICOPTER WAS OPERATING AN AERIAL WORK FLIGHT TO HERD CATTLE. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND A VFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS NOT FILED.  THE HELICOPTER SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.  THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS.  THE HELICOPTER DEPARTED FROM A PRIVATE RANCH LOCATED 4.41 STATUTE MILES BEARING 013 DEGREES NORTHEAST FROM THE CRASH SITE ON FEBRUARY 24, 2020 AT 0800 CST.

## 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 CEN20CA085](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA085), Feb 14, 2020: Robinson R44 (N441KA), Marfa, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a fence during low-altitude maneuvering.

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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