Robinson R-44-II N72PK
16 March 2007 · Isla Grande, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 16 March 2007 at about 21:15 local time, a Robinson R-44-II registered N72PK was involved in an accident near Isla Grande, 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 21:15
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Isla Grande, United States
- Nearest airport
- Luis Munoz Marin Intl (JSJ)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Robinson R-44-II
- Registration
- N72PK
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Isla Grande → Isla Grande
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA07CA107
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's inadvertent encounter with a loss of tail rotor effectiveness which resulted in damage to the helicopter during the subsequent hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated that he was on a training flight, circling clockwise around a point, about 40 feet above ground level. He was approximately 400 feet from the point while at an indicated air speed of 35 knots. The aircraft suddenly started to increase its yaw rate to the right. He applied left pedal to stabilize the yaw rate, which continued to increase. He attempted to stop the high yaw rate with the appropriate pedal inputs, full left pedal; however, the aircraft continued yawing. The helicopter completed two rapid 360 degree rotations. He realized he was not able to correct the high yaw rate with pedal inputs and entered into a hovering autorotation, which stopped the yawing. He landed the helicopter without injuries or damage to any property; however, the aircraft sustained damage to the landing gear due to the hard landing. According to the helicopter manufacturer the helicopter sustained structural damage from the hard landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R-44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 29 Dec 2007 | Robinson R-44 | Westgate Bridge, Australia | Helicopter Flight Centre | Fatal | 1 |
| 26 Feb 2007 | Robinson R-44 | Covington, Georgia, United States | Blue Ridge Helicopters Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Nov 2007 | Robinson R-44 | San Paulo, Brazil | Gbbmserv E Participações Ltda | Fatal | 3 |
| 26 Nov 2007 | Robinson R-44 | Moscow, Russia | Sergey Filonov | Serious injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 2007 | Robinson R-44-II | Miami, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Jun 2007 | Robinson R-44 | Teramo, Italy | - | Fatal | 4 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 Feb 2007 | Piper PA-30 | Lubbock, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 1 Jun 2007 | Piper PA-28-180 | Rosamond, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jul 2007 | Schempp-Hirth VENTUS-2C | Bridgeport, California, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 2007 | Learjet | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | D&D Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2007 | Cessna 172 | Meriden, Connecticut, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Feb 2007 | Ayres S2R-T41 | Turrell, Arkansas, United States | - | No injuries | - |