Robinson R44 N544SH

Summary

On 28 August 2021 at about 01:30 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N544SH, operated by Yavapai County, was involved in an accident near Camp Verde, Arizona, 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.

Date

28 August 2021 at 01:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Camp Verde, Arizona, United States

Coordinates

34.2961, -111.7919

Aircraft

Robinson R44

Registration

N544SH

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2005

Engines

1

Operator

Yavapai County

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Prescott → Prescott

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

WPR21LA341

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight performance calculations which resulted in an aborted takeoff and collision with trees.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, while taking off from a remote mountainous site, the helicopter encountered some turbulent air and the main rotor RPM decayed. He elected to abort the takeoff and land at a site about 20-30 ft from the original location. During the landing, the main rotor blades struck a tree. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to main rotor blades and main rotor hub assembly. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. He also reported that the accident could have been avoided by taking more time to calculate and determine the density altitude and out of ground effect performance of the helicopter at the time of the accident.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.