Robinson R44 N144WT
28 June 2002 · Houston, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 28 June 2002 at about 15:15 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N144WT, operated by Merwin H. Wilkinson, was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- West Houston (IWS)
- Coordinates
- 29.7706, -95.6806
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44
- Registration
- N144WT
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Merwin H. Wilkinson
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Houston → Mandeville
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW02LA197
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of control after encountering dynamic rollover during takeoff. A contributing factor was the pilot's inadequate preflight inspection.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot "lifted" the helicopter vertically to a 4-5 foot hover and proceeded to make a 10 degree left pedal turn. The pilot applied forward pressure on the cyclic to initiate forward flight and in a "matter of 10'-15', the rear portion of the left skid went down abruptly." The pilot immediately added forward right cyclic to compensate for this action. The helicopter started to level at an altitude of approximately 2-3 feet when it settled "hard" on the front portion of the left skid. The helicopter came to rest upright on its landing skids. A broken tie down chain was found that had been attached to the aft portion of the helicopter skid. The pilot reported that he did not attach the tie down chain to the helicopter.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 2002 | Robinson R44 | Bavaro, Dominican Republic | Helicopteros del Caribe, S.A. | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 2002 | Robinson R44 | Del Rio, Texas, United States | Holt Helicopters | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Feb 2003 | Robinson R44 | Mareeba Aerdrome, Australia | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2003 | Robinson R44 | Happy Jack, Arizona, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 11 May 2001 | Robinson R44 | Gorst, Washington, United States | Classic Helicopter Corp. | Fatal | 2 |
| 25 Jun 2003 | Robinson R44 II | Coleta, Illinois, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 May 2002 | Boeing A75SN1 | Georgetown, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Sep 2002 | Cessna 188A | Vincent, Texas, United States | Elk Creek Spraying Service | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jul 2002 | Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9B | El Paso, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 Jan 2002 | Bellanca 17-30 | Plainview, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Jan 2002 | Cessna 340A | Temple, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 18 Jan 2002 | Beechcraft C23 | Sinton, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |