Robinson R44 II N168SH

Summary

On 9 January 2009 at about 03:52 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N168SH was involved in an accident near West Valley City, Utah, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 were seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 January 2009 at 03:52

Classification

Accident

Location

West Valley City, Utah, United States

Coordinates

40.6308, -112.0567

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N168SH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Instructional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Tooele → Bountiful

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

WPR09FA076

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s inadvertent VFR flight into IMC conditions, which resulted in his spatial disorientation and loss of control of the helicopter. Also causal was the flight instructor’s delay in taking remedial action.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot and the instructor reported that the flight began as an instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country training flight. After encountering turbulence and head winds, they elected to terminate the IFR flight plan about 10 miles from their intended destination, reverse course, and return under night visual flight rules (VFR). The instructor stated that on the return trip, he was not instructing the pilot and was "just a passenger." During the return trip, they made an intermediate stop and refueled the helicopter. The weather conditions on departure from the refueling stop were winds light and variable, visibility 4 miles, and ceiling about 2,000 feet above ground level (6,321 feet mean sea level [msl]). About 15 minutes into the flight, the helicopter was at about 6,100 feet msl when it entered clouds and the pilot lost visual contact with the ground. The instructor reported that the pilot "became quickly disoriented losing positive control of the aircraft." The pilot reported that the helicopter entered the clouds and "began to rotate immediately." The flight instructor took the controls and attempted to regain control of the helicopter, but was unable to do so before the helicopter impacted the ground.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.