Robinson R44 II N921JM
8 May 2011 · Golden, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 8 May 2011 at about 20:30 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N921JM, operated by Colorado Helicopter Inc, was involved in an accident near Golden, Colorado, United States. 3 people were 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 20:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Golden, Colorado, United States
- Coordinates
- 39.7339, -105.2450
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44 II
- Registration
- N921JM
- Category
- Helicopter
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Colorado Helicopter Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Denver → Denver
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN11CA325
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s decision to operate the helicopter at a high density altitude near terrain, which resulted in a settling with power condition.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter was following participants in a downhill skateboard race in mountainous terrain. The pilot had just performed a left-pedal turn and the helicopter was facing upslope to the mountain. The low rotor warning sounded and the pilot lowered the collective and increased throttle. The pilot stated that the engine did not respond so he continued to lower the collective and looked for a place to land. During the forced landing on the downsloping terrain the helicopter came to rest on its nose, resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor, skid tubes, and tail boom. Postaccident examination of the helicopter, engine, and systems, revealed no anomalies. The density altitude was calculated to be 10,600 feet. The pilot calculated the in-ground-effect hover to be 8,500 feet pressure altitude, the out-of-ground-effect hover to be 5,000 feet pressure altitude, and estimated the gross weight to be 2,320 pounds.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Nov 2011 | Robinson R44 II | Hackensack, Minnesota, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 Mar 2011 | Robinson R44 II | Weston, Florida, United States | Bravo Helicopters, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 2011 | Robinson R44 II | Glenwood Springs, Colorado, United States | 244 Charlie Delta LLC | No injuries | - |
| 1 May 2011 | Robinson R44 II | Indiana, Pennsylvania, United States | Penn Helicopter LLC | Fatal | 1 |
| 31 Mar 2011 | Robinson R44 | Straubing, Germany | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Dec 2011 | Robinson R44 | Sao Bento do Sul, Brazil | SASH Locacao de Veiculos | Fatal | 1 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Nov 2011 | Remos REMOS GX | Fort Collins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 2 Oct 2011 | Campbell John MUSTANG II | Brush, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 2011 | Socata TB21 | Silverton, Colorado, United States | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 14 Jun 2011 | Cessna 172S | Cortez, Colorado, United States | Fly Corona | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jul 2011 | Bellanca 8KCAB | Greeley, Colorado, United States | Richardson Companies Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 23 Apr 2011 | CubCrafters CC11-160 | Parker, Colorado, United States | Flying Js, LLC | Fatal | 2 |