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20210502008779A

Accident · Substantial damage
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FAA accident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 · Wingate, NC · May 2, 2021

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
May 2, 2021 · 13:18 local
Place
Wingate, NC
Phase of flight
Maneuver
Operating rules
Agricultural (Part 137)
Operator
UKRG
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N4528T
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA21FA200
Reported as
Robinson Helicopter R44
Reported engine
Lycoming O-540-F1B5
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
1
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
N4528TRegistration cancelled Nov 10, 2021 · Robinson Helicopter R44S/N 1973 · Built 2008Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R44Engine modelLycoming O-540-F1B5Reciprocating

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 may 2, 2021, at 1318 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R-44 helicopter, N4528T, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Wingate, north carolina. The helicopter was being operated as a 14 CFR part 137 aerial application flight. The commercial pilot, who was spraying fungicide on a wheat field when the accident occurred, was fatally injured.

According to several witnesses, this was the first time they had observed this portion of the field, which contained multiple power lines, being sprayed via aerial application. The

Helicopter had been operating about 15 ft above the 3-FT tall wheat during the spraying operation. Images recovered from a GPS application on the pilot?s tablet computer showed that the helicopter completed its first pass in a northerly heading, then turned and flew over the field on a southerly heading. The data correlated to

The helicopter?s flight track ended in the vicinity of where the helicopter?s main wreckage came to rest. A witness in a nearby home reported he heard a loud noise and simultaneously lost

Electricity to their home and saw the helicopter as it descended in a nose-down attitude before it impacted the field in the vicinity of the power

Lines. The helicopter impacted and severed a power line that

Was oriented about 228° magnetic and measured about 29 ft above ground level at its lowest point over the wheat field. The helicopter came to rest on its left side. The fuselage was crushed and deformed aft. The tail

Boom remained attached to the main fuselage; however, the empennage, composed of the upper and lower vertical stabilizers, horizontal stabilizer, the tail rotor and its gearbox, were separated from the tail boom. Both main rotor blades remained attached to the hub and were whole from root to tip. The agricultural hopper remained partially attached to the fuselage. It was breached and its lower side was crush-damaged. The engine compartment and engine remained intact.

For additional information reference sas activity #: EA68202102466

As the FAA filed it

ON MAY 2, 2021, AT 1318 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A ROBINSON R-44 HELICOPTER, N4528T, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT WAS INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT NEAR WINGATE, NORTH CAROLINA. THE HELICOPTER WAS BEING OPERATED AS A 14 CFR PART 137 AERIAL APPLICATION FLIGHT. THE COMMERCIAL PILOT, WHO WAS SPRAYING FUNGICIDE ON A WHEAT FIELD WHEN THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED, WAS FATALLY INJURED.

ACCORDING TO SEVERAL WITNESSES, THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THEY HAD OBSERVED THIS PORTION OF THE FIELD, WHICH CONTAINED MULTIPLE POWER LINES, BEING SPRAYED VIA AERIAL APPLICATION. THE

HELICOPTER HAD BEEN OPERATING ABOUT 15 FT ABOVE THE 3-FT TALL WHEAT DURING THE SPRAYING OPERATION. IMAGES RECOVERED FROM A GPS APPLICATION ON THE PILOT?S TABLET COMPUTER SHOWED THAT THE HELICOPTER COMPLETED ITS FIRST PASS IN A NORTHERLY HEADING, THEN TURNED AND FLEW OVER THE FIELD ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING. THE DATA CORRELATED TO

THE HELICOPTER?S FLIGHT TRACK ENDED IN THE VICINITY OF WHERE THE HELICOPTER?S MAIN WRECKAGE CAME TO REST. A WITNESS IN A NEARBY HOME REPORTED HE HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY LOST

ELECTRICITY TO THEIR HOME AND SAW THE HELICOPTER AS IT DESCENDED IN A NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE BEFORE IT IMPACTED THE FIELD IN THE VICINITY OF THE POWER

LINES. THE HELICOPTER IMPACTED AND SEVERED A POWER LINE THAT

WAS ORIENTED ABOUT 228° MAGNETIC AND MEASURED ABOUT 29 FT ABOVE GROUND LEVEL AT ITS LOWEST POINT OVER THE WHEAT FIELD. THE HELICOPTER CAME TO REST ON ITS LEFT SIDE. THE FUSELAGE WAS CRUSHED AND DEFORMED AFT. THE TAIL

BOOM REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE MAIN FUSELAGE; HOWEVER, THE EMPENNAGE, COMPOSED OF THE UPPER AND LOWER VERTICAL STABILIZERS, HORIZONTAL STABILIZER, THE TAIL ROTOR AND ITS GEARBOX, WERE SEPARATED FROM THE TAIL BOOM. BOTH MAIN ROTOR BLADES REMAINED ATTACHED TO THE HUB AND WERE WHOLE FROM ROOT TO TIP. THE AGRICULTURAL HOPPER REMAINED PARTIALLY ATTACHED TO THE FUSELAGE. IT WAS BREACHED AND ITS LOWER SIDE WAS CRUSH-DAMAGED. THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND ENGINE REMAINED INTACT.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REFERENCE SAS ACTIVITY #: EA68202102466

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB ERA21FA200Accident · 1 fatalClass 3 · FieldFinal reportWingate, NCThe pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line during a low-level aerial application flight, resulting in tail rotor impact with the power line, a loss of control, and subsequent impact with the ground.May 2, 2021 · Substantial damage