- Date
- August 20, 2021, 23:00 local (Aug 21, 2021, 04:00 UTC)
- Place
- Gonzales, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N222VBRobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards
- FAA report
- 20210820014649A
- Case key
- 103735
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadvertent collision with a tree while landing at night which resulted in a hard landing.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that he was approaching to land at night when the helicopter tail rotor struck a tree. He felt the helicopter “shake a little” and noticed it was “falling.” The pilot attempted to cushion the landing by increasing collective and the helicopter came to rest on both skids upright. The helicopter fuselage and tail rotor sustained damaged during the hard landing. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N222VB
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 10009
- Built
- 2002
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5, 245 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Down River Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Down River Aviation LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- N/A · Gonzales, LA
- Destination
- N/A · Gonzales, LA
- Equipment
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KREG, 4 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KREG 210355Z AUTO 00000KT 7SM CLR 25/24 A2995
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 5, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 566 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.