# NTSB investigations: Robinson Helicopter R44: VFR encounter with IMC

NTSB aviation accident and incident investigations since 1962: the probable cause, findings, aircraft, crew, weather and docket of each, linked to the FAA registry and the FAA’s own reports.

## Latest cases

- [NTSB CEN25FA124](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25FA124.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 · Danville, VA · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Preliminary report · Mar 15, 2025 · N331ES · Destroyed
  > On March 15, 2025, about 1500 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R44 helicopter, N331ES, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Danville, Virginia. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal…
- [NTSB ERA21LA191](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21LA191.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 · Forkston, PA · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Apr 23, 2021 · N4055N · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s inadequate preflight weather planning, which resulted in an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions at night, spatial disorientation, and collision with terrain.
- [NTSB WPR19FA175](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR19FA175.md): Robinson R44 · Two Harbors, CA · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report · Jun 18, 2019 · N7187D · Destroyed
  > The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.
- [NTSB ERA09FA417](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA09FA417.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 · Boonsboro, MD · Accident · 4 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Jul 24, 2009 · N7189W · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s improper decision to depart on a visual flight rules (VFR) flight at night in adverse weather conditions in close proximity to rising mountainous terrain in a helicopter that was only certified to be operated under VFR and his subsequent failure…

## The whole list in SQL

Runs in DuckDB 1.2 or later on the release's Parquet files over HTTPS:

```sql
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url
FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1
WHERE c."mKey" IN (SELECT x.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' x WHERE x.aircraft_model_code IN ('7640120')
    AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' s WHERE s.case_mkey = x.case_mkey AND s.aircrafts_position = x.position AND s."tier2Number" = '401' AND s.case_mkey IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' WHERE "isDefiningEvent")))
ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
```

This list as a web page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/401/sequence?model=7640120

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