# Incident 20200311001429I: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Big Lake, TX, March 11, 2020

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 11, 2020, 19:15 local time
- Place: Big Lake, TX
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: Agricultural (Part 137)
- Operator: 2WCG
- Location: 31.1626° N, 101.2732° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=31.1626&lon=-101.2732&mi=10
- Aircraft: N4386W, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N4386W) (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: 1,500 total, 900 in this make and model, 120 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN20LA442](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA442) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200311001429I

## Narrative

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

ON MARCH 11, 2020, AT APPROXIMATELY 1915 CDT, N4386W, ROBINSON R44 STRUCK POWER LINES WHILE CONDUCTING AERIAL APPLICATION ON A RANCH LOCATED 12 MILES EAST OF BIG LAKE, TEXAS.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME.  NO FLIGHT PLAN FILED.   THE AIRCRAFT HAD MINOR DAMAGE TO THE MAIN ROTOR MAST.  THE PILOT WAS NOT INJURED.  THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM REGAN COUNTY AIRPORT, BIG LAKE, TEXAS ON MARCH 11, 2020, AT APPROXIMATELY 1830 CDT.

## 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 CEN20LA442](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA442), Mar 12, 2020: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N4386W), Sterling City, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during an aerial application flight.

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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