# Accident 20200616007659A: Robinson Helicopter Company R22, El Campo, TX, June 16, 2020

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 16, 2020, 15:00 local time
- Place: El Campo, TX
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Other, Specify
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.1906° N, 96.2492° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.1906&lon=-96.2492&mi=10
- Aircraft: N797SH, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N797SH-2021-12-04) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R22 (registry code 7640102, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r22) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-360 series (registry code 41575, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R22
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-360 SERIES
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 312 total, 80 in this make and model, 23 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN20CA230](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA230) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20200616007659A

## Narrative

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

THE HELICOPTER  WAS LOW LEVEL FLYING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH  POLLINATING A RICE FIELD. PILOT MISJUDGED THE ALTITUDE THAT HE WAS AT AND EVENTUALLY REALIZED HE WAS TOO LOW, BUT BY THAT POINT IT WAS TOO LATE. A PART OF THE HELICOPTER CAUGHT THE RICE FIELD, AND THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED INTO AN UNCONTROLLABLE SPIN. THE PILOT REPORTED THE AIRCRAFT OPERATED COMPLETELY NORMAL AT ALL TIMES. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS COMPLETELY UNHARMED AND THE HELICOPTER WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED. PILOT ATTRIBUTE THIS ACCIDENT TO PILOT ERROR HAVING MISJUDGED THE ALTITUDE

## 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 CEN20CA230](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA230), Jun 16, 2020: Robinson R22 (N797SH), El Campo, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from the rice vegetation, which resulted in the helicopter's impact with terrain.

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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