Robinson R22 BETA N7508Y
20 February 2012 · Antioch, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 February 2012 at about 02:45 local time, a Robinson R22 BETA registered N7508Y was involved in an accident near Antioch, California, 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 02:45
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Antioch, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Byron (C83)
- Coordinates
- 38.0353, -121.7553
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA
- Registration
- N7508Y
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2005
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Hayward → Sacramento
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night
- NTSB number
- WPR12LA109
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
Probable cause
The failure of both pilots to see and avoid the other aircraft during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident was the failure of air traffic control personnel to issue the helicopter pilot with a prompt and appropriate alternate course of action upon receiving a conflict alert.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The helicopter and airplane collided midair. Both aircraft sustained minimal damage during the impact but substantial damage during the subsequent forced landings. The airplane pilot was performing a local flight and was not in contact with air traffic control (ATC) before the collision. The helicopter pilot was receiving visual flight rules flight following services from ATC throughout the flight. The helicopter pilot transitioned between two ATC sectors before the accident. On multiple occasions, the controllers for each sector misidentified the last three digits of the helicopter's call sign. Additionally, the controller in the accident sector issued a traffic advisory using the wrong call sign. Further, an aircraft with the same last three digits as the helicopter's incorrect call sign made radio contact with the controller shortly before the collision, which increased the confusion. Audio data revealed that the air traffic controller provided multiple traffic advisories to the helicopter but did not issue an alternate or immediate course of action in accordance with ATC procedures despite the fact that the aircraft's converging flightpaths had triggered the radar conflict alert system. Radar playback also revealed that, at that time, the controller was receiving a visual alert on the radar console. This alert was also observed by a controller in an adjacent approach sector who called the radar assist controller warning of the threat. The assist controller responded, "yeah, we're givin' him traffic." A few seconds later, the radar targets merged. The helicopter pilot stated that she received and complied with the traffic advisories by performing a visual scan but that, based on her communications with the air traffic controller, she did not perceive the situation to be urgent. Radar data revealed that the helicopter descended 600 feet before the collision but that the pilot did not inform the air traffic controllers about the descent. Further, as the airplane got closer and the traffic advisories were issued, the helicopter pilot began turning north, which brought the helicopter directly into the path of the approaching airplane while simultaneously placing the airplane behind her immediate field of vision. Shortly after, she sighted a silhouette of the airplane and propeller at her 4-o'clock position. She performed an evasive maneuver to the left but then felt the helicopter being struck. Neither the airplane pilot nor the occupant observed another aircraft near the airplane before the collision. Although the airplane pilot was not receiving traffic advisories from ATC, it was still the pilot's responsibility to maintain a proper visual lookout to avoid other aircraft in the area. The helicopter's left navigation light was inoperative when tested after the accident; however, this most likely did not affect the outcome because the left side of the helicopter would not have been visible to the airplane pilot at any point during the flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robinson R22 BETA | N7508Y | - | Substantial |
| Beechcraft 35-A33 | N433JC | - | Substantial |
Other Robinson R22 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Aug 2012 | Robinson R22 BETA | Spanish Fork, Utah, United States | Utah Helicopter | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Jul 2012 | Robinson R22 | Sao Paulo, Brazil | Master Escola de Aviacao Civil Ltda | Fatal | 2 |
| 21 Apr 2012 | Robinson R22 ALPHA | Palmer, Alaska, United States | Pollux Aviation Limited | No injuries | - |
| 8 Mar 2012 | Robinson R22 BETA | Randle, Washington, United States | Glacier Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 26 Sep 2012 | Robinson R22 BETA II | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Alpine Air Alaska Inc | No injuries | - |
| 16 Jul 2012 | Robinson R22 | Bountiful, Utah, United States | Upper Limit Aviation | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 Nov 2012 | Remos Acft Gmbh Flugzeugbau REMOS GX | Sacramento, California, United States | Greg Thomas Group Inc | No injuries | - |
| 21 Feb 2012 | Haycraft SPORT HORNET | Mariposa, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Apr 2012 | Piper PA-18-150 | Sierraville, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 19 Feb 2012 | Aeronca 7BCM | Woodland, California, United States | Red Sky Aviation, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 27 May 2012 | Beechcraft B36TC | Santa Ynez, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 20 Nov 2012 | Cessna 210 | San Rafael, California, United States | Zachariah Kimsey | No injuries | - |