# Accident 20210820014649A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Gonzales, LA, August 20, 2021

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 20, 2021, 23:30 local time
- Place: Gonzales, LA
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.2461° N, 90.9219° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.2461&lon=-90.9219&mi=10
- Aircraft: N222VB, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N222VB) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (registry code 7640122, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 3,500 total, 2,000 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN21LA378](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA378) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210820014649A

## Narrative

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

HELICOPTER WAS APPROACHING LANDING AREA ON PRIVATE PROPERTY AT NIGHT, PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO MANEUVER AWAY FROM A TREE, WHEN HE INITIATED A PEDAL TURN CAUSING THE TAIL ROTOR TO CONTACT THE TREE.  THIS CAUSED THE AIRCRAFT TO DESCEND VERTICALLY ALLOWING THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES TO CONTACT THE TREE AS WELL. HELICOPTER IMPACTED THE GROUND, ON THE SKIDS, CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE FUSELAGE, TAIL BOOM AND TAIL ROTOR AREA. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED.

## 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 CEN21LA378](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA378), Aug 21, 2021: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N222VB), Gonzales, LA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s inadvertent collision with a tree while landing at night which resulted in a hard landing.

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.