- Date
- August 20, 2021, 03:40 local (08:40 UTC)
- Place
- New Roads, LA · Presumed in the MS River
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N744RBRobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of engine power (total)
- 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
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20210820022919A
- Case key
- 103751
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
A loss of engine power for reasons that could not be determined due to a lack of available evidence.
Findings · 1
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 was conducting a night cross country flight in his single-engine helicopter to evaluate the progress of some construction projects. As he approached the landing area, he noticed some loose construction debris, so he flew past the site and turned around to approach from the opposite direction. Shortly thereafter, the engine began losing power. Unable to maintain level flight he conducted an emergency landing to a river. By the time he was rescued, about 11 hours after the accident, the helicopter had sunk and was not located despite an extensive search by local law enforcement. Given that the wreckage was not recovered, an examination of the engine to determine a reason for the loss of power could not be performed.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N744RB
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 14390
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- KLFT · Lafayette, 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
- 62
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- BasicMed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.97 inHg
- Observed at
- KHZR, 6 nm away
- METAR
- KHZR 200915Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 24/24 A2997 RMK AO2
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 5, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.8 MB 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.