Robinson R44 N4138M

Summary

On 3 August 2017 at about 18:32 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N4138M, operated by Bering Air, Inc., was involved in an accident near Solomon, Alaska, United States. 2 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.

Date

3 August 2017 at 18:32

Classification

Accident

Location

Solomon, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

64.5661, -164.2964

Aircraft

Robinson R44

Registration

N4138M

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2008

Engines

1

Operator

Bering Air, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Nome → Nome

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC17LA040

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude above water, and his loss of situational awareness, which resulted in an inadvertent descent and collision with water.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was conducting a commercial charter flight for the passenger to place mineral claim markers. He stated that, while flying over a lagoon at an altitude lower than he "should have been," while making inputs to the GPS unit, he likely inadvertently applied forward cyclic and allowed the helicopter to descend into the water below. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Although helicopters operated under 14 CFR Part 135 are required to be equipped with radar altimeters, the accident helicopter was not, as the operator had been authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate the helicopter without one. It is likely that if a radar altimeter was installed in the helicopter at the time of the accident, was functioning properly, and was set to provide an aural warning at a predetermined altitude, the pilot may have had adequate time to recognize and stop the inadvertent descent before impact with water.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.