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20240715008539I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Talkeetna, AK · July 15, 2024

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 15, 2024 · 14:15 local
Place
Talkeetna, AK
Airport
Talkeetna
Phase of flight
Other, Specify
Operating rules
Rotorcraft external load (Part 133)
Operator
TL7L
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N4QH
Reported as
Robinson Helicopter R44 II
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
9,800 total1,800 in this make and model100 in the last 90 days
N4QHRegistered now · Robinson Helicopter R44 IIS/N 13773 · Built 2015Airframe 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.

Departed the Talkeetna Airport at 2:00PM local with the current afis and traffic advisory carrying a sling load on a 100FT line. Weather at the airport was reported as visibility 10, wind 270 at 5KTS, clouds 6500FT broken. After setting the load at a remote cabin site 10 mile east on a brushy hillside with a few trees I lowered the helicopter to release the line keeping the tree nearest the load in sight. As I lowered the line became entangled in a fallen spruce tree near the load. I picked back untangling the line from the tree and when I elected to lower again my focus was on the line and not getting it tangled again. I now accidently omitted the nearby tree from my scan and just prior to releasing the line the main rotor blade contacted the tree top near the tip. I climbed slightly, released the line and landed immediately about 50 yards away. Mechanics were flown to the sight and determined the dents were beyond service limits and the helicopter was recovered by helicopter a few days later.

As the FAA filed it

DEPARTED THE TALKEETNA AIRPORT AT 2:00PM LOCAL WITH THE CURRENT AFIS AND TRAFFIC ADVISORY CARRYING A SLING LOAD ON A 100FT LINE. WEATHER AT THE AIRPORT WAS REPORTED AS VISIBILITY 10, WIND 270 AT 5KTS, CLOUDS 6500FT BROKEN. AFTER SETTING THE LOAD AT A REMOTE CABIN SITE 10 MILE EAST ON A BRUSHY HILLSIDE WITH A FEW TREES I LOWERED THE HELICOPTER TO RELEASE THE LINE KEEPING THE TREE NEAREST THE LOAD IN SIGHT. AS I LOWERED THE LINE BECAME ENTANGLED IN A FALLEN SPRUCE TREE NEAR THE LOAD. I PICKED BACK UNTANGLING THE LINE FROM THE TREE AND WHEN I ELECTED TO LOWER AGAIN MY FOCUS WAS ON THE LINE AND NOT GETTING IT TANGLED AGAIN. I NOW ACCIDENTLY OMITTED THE NEARBY TREE FROM MY SCAN AND JUST PRIOR TO RELEASING THE LINE THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE CONTACTED THE TREE TOP NEAR THE TIP. I CLIMBED SLIGHTLY, RELEASED THE LINE AND LANDED IMMEDIATELY ABOUT 50 YARDS AWAY. MECHANICS WERE FLOWN TO THE SIGHT AND DETERMINED THE DENTS WERE BEYOND SERVICE LIMITS AND THE HELICOPTER WAS RECOVERED BY HELICOPTER A FEW DAYS LATER.