- Date
- May 10, 2006, 16:00 local (21:00 UTC)
- Place
- West Monroe, LA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N144DJRobinson R-44
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 3, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- BTR FSDO, Baton Rouge, LA
- FAA report
- 20060510007689A
- Case key
- 63671
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 loss of control while taxiing.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The 17,000-hour helicopter commercial pilot, sole occupant of the single-engine helicopter, was attempting to land on a landing cart. The pilot stated that the landing cart is normally used to facilitate moving the helicopter in and out of the hangar. On the day of the accident, the small tractor that is normally connected to the cart was not attached and that the cart wheels were not secured. Upon a normal landing on the stationary cart, the cart began to move towards a hangar. The pilot was unable to re-establish rotor RPM in time to stop the movement of the cart, and the main rotor blades impacted the hangar. The pilot reported having accumulated a total of 700 hours in the same make and model. The hangar was substantially damaged.
Factual narrative
The 17,000-hour helicopter commercial pilot, sole occupant of the single-engine helicopter, was attempting to land on a landing cart. The pilot stated that the landing cart is normally used to facilitate moving the helicopter in and out of the hangar. On the day of the accident, the small tractor that is normally connected to the cart was not attached and that the cart wheels were not secured. Upon a normal landing on the stationary cart, the cart began to move towards a hangar. The pilot was unable to re-establish rotor RPM in time to stop the movement of the cart, and the main rotor blades impacted the hangar. The pilot reported having accumulated a total of 700 hours in the same make and model. The hangar was substantially damaged.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N144DJ
- Reported as
- Robinson R-44
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1183
- Airframe hours
- 978
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-F1B5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive/Corporate · Part 91
- Registered owner
- D & J Contstruction Company, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · May 1, 2006
- Departed
- KARA · New Iberia, LA
- Destination
- West Monroe, LA
- Flight plan
- Company VFR
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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 17,000 total · 700 in this make and model · 16,970 as pilot in command · 125 in the last 90 days · 15 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.64 inHg
- Observed at
- KMLU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.