# Accident 20230326003849A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Erwinville, LA, March 26, 2023

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 26, 2023, 02:39 local time
- Place: Erwinville, LA
- Airport: Baton Rouge Metropolitan, Ryan
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 30.5118° N, 91.3244° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.5118&lon=-91.3244&mi=10
- Aircraft: N441PD, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N441PD) (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
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,700 total, 1,500 in this make and model, 60 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN23FA142](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23FA142) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230326003849A

## Narrative

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

ON 3/26/2023, A ROBINSON R44 HELICOPTER, FLYING UNDER CFR PART 91 OPERATIONS DEPARTED BTR AT APPROXIMATELY 0236 HOURS IN PURSUIT OF A DRUNK DRIVER. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED BY A  PILOT IN COMMAND AND ANOTHER CERTIFICATED PILOT ON BOARD MANNING THE COPILOT STATION. AFTER  APPROX. 13 MINUTES OF FLIGHT TIME, THE AIRCRAFT LOST CONTROL AND CRASHED APPROX. 10 MILES WEST OF BTR AT AROUND 0239 LOCAL TIME. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND BOTH PILOTS WERE KILLED AS A RESULT OF THE ACCIDENT.

## 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 CEN23FA142](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23FA142), Mar 26, 2023: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N441PD), Port Allen, LA, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s decision to continue the visual flight rules flight into deteriorating weather conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and the loss of aircraft control.

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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