Robinson R44 II N445HS

Summary

On 22 August 2015 at about 22:42 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N445HS, operated by Perfect Filler LLC, was involved in an accident near Carlos, Texas, 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

22 August 2015 at 22:42

Classification

Accident

Location

Carlos, Texas, United States

Coordinates

31.0553, -97.5635

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N445HS

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2012

Engines

1

Operator

Perfect Filler LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Business

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Bryan → Bryan

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15LA375

2 people were seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper decision to turn the helicopter toward a tailwind during an out-of-ground-effect hover, which resulted in a loss of tail rotor effectiveness. Contributing to the accident was the accident and lead pilots’ inadequate preflight risk management.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot was conducting the flight behind another helicopter in order to film the passengers on board the lead helicopter hunting wild hog. At the filming location, the accident pilot initially established a hover about 400 ft above ground level (agl). After the lead pilot radioed to the accident pilot that he was flying too high, the accident pilot descended to about 200 ft agl, which was 100 ft above the lead helicopter. The accident pilot made a right pedal turn away from a headwind of 20 knots in an attempt to keep the lead helicopter in sight. The accident helicopter subsequently entered a right descending spin, which the pilot was unable to arrest. The helicopter subsequently impacted trees, which damaged the main rotor, tail rotor, and fuselage. Examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. The helicopter was operating in a high-power, low-airspeed condition that required the pilot to be especially aware of wind direction to avoid tailwinds, which can result in a loss of control due to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness. The combination of an out-of-ground-effect hover and the pilot's subsequent turn away from the headwind toward a tailwind of about 20 knots resulted in the loss of tail rotor effectiveness. The flight was the accident pilot's first commercial operation and also the first flight that required him to maintain a hover while close to another helicopter. Neither the accident pilot nor the lead pilot was aware of the helicopter manufacturer's safety notice regarding photo flights, which recommended that pilots flying such operations should have a higher level of experience than the accident pilot had. The lead pilot, who was more experienced, reported that he was concerned about the accident pilot's inexperience relative to the challenging flight but chose to continue with the flight because he wanted to capture the film footage.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.