Robinson R44 II N168AG
15 June 2008 · Topanga, California, United States · Minor injuries
Summary
On 15 June 2008 at about 02:00 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N168AG, operated by Air & Land Ventures Inc., was involved in an accident near Topanga, California, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. 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 02:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Topanga, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 34.1136, -118.6403
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44 II
- Registration
- N168AG
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Air & Land Ventures Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Other Work Use
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Los Angeles → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX08LA183
People
3 people had minor injuries.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Probable cause
The in-flight separation of the tail rotor gear box for an undetermined reason. Contributing to the accident was the hilly terrain, which was unsuitable for a forced landing.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
About 15 minutes into the helicopter's local sightseeing flight, the pilot heard a loud noise and the helicopter began to rotate to the right. He entered an autorotation and aimed for a trail in the hilly terrain the helicopter was passing over. As he flared the helicopter and pulled up on the collective to terminate the autorotation, the helicopter again began to rotate to the right. The helicopter impacted the trail and rolled over, coming to rest on its right side. Examination revealed that the tail rotor gearbox had separated from the tail boom. With the exception of the outboard sections of both tail rotor blades, none of the tail rotor components were recovered. The blade sections were found along the helicopter's flight path about 1/2-mile from the accident site. The two blade sections both displayed signatures consistent with the tail rotor contacting the helicopter's vertical stabilizer after the tail rotor gear box separated from the tail boom. The reason for the separation of the tail rotor gear box could not be determined due to the missing parts.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Mar 2008 | Robinson R44 | Montgomery, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 2008 | Robinson R44 II | Ridgedale, Missouri, United States | Central Illinois Air Corp | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Jan 2008 | Robinson R44 II | Fenner, New York, United States | Adkins Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 22 Jan 2008 | Robinson R44 | Ochopee, Florida, United States | Donald S. Mills | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 May 2008 | Robinson R44 II | Lake Wales, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Sep 2008 | Robinson R44 II | Marathon, Florida, United States | Frezo Financial LLC | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2008 | Cessna 172S | San Luis Obispo, California, United States | Pacific Aerocademy | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2008 | Cessna TU206G | Groveland, California, United States | Charles D Hartwell | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 2008 | Piper PA 28-180 | Sonoma, California, United States | Timothy Bennett | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 2008 | Cessna 152 | Redding, California, United States | Kenneth A Tyler | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 2008 | Kaman K-1200 | Santa Clarita, California, United States | Superior Leasing LLC | Fatal | - |
| 26 Jul 2008 | Ercoupe 415-C | Corona, California, United States | Herbert Guiness | No injuries | - |