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20210214005119I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Corona, CA · February 14, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
February 14, 2021 · 17:00 local
Place
Corona, CA
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Departure Roll
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N442WM
Reported as
Robinson Helicopter R44 II
Reported engine
Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours
618 total86 in this make and model144 in the last 90 days
N442WMRegistered now · Robinson Helicopter R44 IIS/N 11555 · Built 2006Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R44 IIEngine modelLycoming IO-540-AE1A5Reciprocating

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

On February 14, 2021 a helicopter took off from french valley airport (F70) and landed at the Corona airport (ajo). The flight instructor and student pilot taxied to the fuel island in ajo. The student stated he saw the fuel island and wanted to land under the roof of the island because he was familiar with that particular pump. The instructor saw a pump without a roof over it and suggested to land at that pump. The student declined and the instructor let the student land where he wanted.

Prior to take off the instructor noted the rotor blades were close to the roof of the fuel island, he decided to perform the take off rather than his student. Upon becoming airborne the rotor blades of the helicopter struck the top of the fuel island and the helicopter bounced then came to rest near where it took off from.

The instructor shut the helicopter down and inspected the aircraft and noted damage to the roof of the fuel island and the rotor blades of the helicopter. They towed the helicopter to a nearby parking area and alerted the flight school of the incident.

As the FAA filed it

ON FEBRUARY 14, 2021 A HELICOPTER TOOK OFF FROM FRENCH VALLEY AIRPORT (F70) AND LANDED AT THE CORONA AIRPORT (AJO). THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR AND STUDENT PILOT TAXIED TO THE FUEL ISLAND IN AJO. THE STUDENT STATED HE SAW THE FUEL ISLAND AND WANTED TO LAND UNDER THE ROOF OF THE ISLAND BECAUSE HE WAS FAMILIAR WITH THAT PARTICULAR PUMP. THE INSTRUCTOR SAW A PUMP WITHOUT A ROOF OVER IT AND SUGGESTED TO LAND AT THAT PUMP. THE STUDENT DECLINED AND THE INSTRUCTOR LET THE STUDENT LAND WHERE HE WANTED.

PRIOR TO TAKE OFF THE INSTRUCTOR NOTED THE ROTOR BLADES WERE CLOSE TO THE ROOF OF THE FUEL ISLAND, HE DECIDED TO PERFORM THE TAKE OFF RATHER THAN HIS STUDENT. UPON BECOMING AIRBORNE THE ROTOR BLADES OF THE HELICOPTER STRUCK THE TOP OF THE FUEL ISLAND AND THE HELICOPTER BOUNCED THEN CAME TO REST NEAR WHERE IT TOOK OFF FROM.

THE INSTRUCTOR SHUT THE HELICOPTER DOWN AND INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND NOTED DAMAGE TO THE ROOF OF THE FUEL ISLAND AND THE ROTOR BLADES OF THE HELICOPTER. THEY TOWED THE HELICOPTER TO A NEARBY PARKING AREA AND ALERTED THE FLIGHT SCHOOL OF THE INCIDENT.