Robinson R44 N772MG
2 January 2019 · Santa Maria Island, Florida, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 2 January 2019 at about 16:20 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N772MG, operated by Sarasota Helicopter Services Llc, was involved in an accident near Santa Maria Island, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. 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 16:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Santa Maria Island, Florida, United States
- Coordinates
- 27.5000, -82.7467
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44
- Registration
- N772MG
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2015
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Sarasota Helicopter Services Llc
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Observation
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sarasota → Sarasota
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- GAA19CA124
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot's loss of helicopter control while maneuvering at a low altitude after being struck in the head by a bird.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot reported that, while making a video of a boat, he flew the helicopter with the doors removed about 20 ft above the water and 3/4 mile offshore and saw seabirds ahead crossing right to left but he thought they would be not be a problem. Shortly after seeing the birds, he initiated a right turn to follow the boat, and while he was looking over his right shoulder, he felt an object, which he believed was a seabird, strike him in the back of the head. While dazed from the head strike, he flared to reduce speed, and the helicopter settled into the water. He then applied left lateral cyclic to stop the main rotor blade's rotation, and the helicopter rolled left and inverted in the water. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Oct 2019 | Robinson R44 | Pretoria, South Africa | International Trade And Commodities | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 2019 | Robinson R44 | Parsons, West Virginia, United States | Ali Co | Serious injuries | - |
| 17 May 2019 | Robinson R44 | Alpine, Utah, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 19 May 2019 | Robinson R44 II | Tai Po, China | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 28 Sep 2019 | Robinson R44 | Sanford, Maine, United States | York County Helicopters | Serious injuries | - |
| 10 Jul 2019 | Robinson R44 | Mt Tremblank, Canada | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Aug 2019 | Piper PA28 | Miami, Florida, United States | Osorio Aviation Corp | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Aug 2019 | Beechcraft 35 | Fort Myers, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Nov 2019 | Bushby BUSHBY MUSTANG M II | Milton, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Nov 2019 | Beechcraft E35 | Okeechobee, Florida, United States | Spaceport Aviation | Serious injuries | - |
| 23 Sep 2019 | Van's RV 6 | Lakeland, Florida, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Aug 2019 | Cessna 152 | Hollywood, Florida, United States | American Flight Training LLC | No injuries | - |