Robinson R44 II N3027W

Summary

On 10 November 2021 at about 17:00 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N3027W, operated by Aaron Kellum, was involved in an accident near Fort Davis, Texas, United States. 3 people were on board and 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.

Date

10 November 2021 at 17:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Davis, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.7357, -104.0064

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N3027W

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2007

Engines

1

Operator

Aaron Kellum

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA034

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s encounter of a downdraft from which there was insufficient altitude to recover.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he had descended the helicopter to about 50ft above ground level along a ridgeline when he encountered a downdraft from an opposing ridgeline. He attempted to fly out of the downdraft by flying towards lower ground but did not have the power or airspeed to arrest the descent. The helicopter’s low rotor RPM came on as the helicopter impacted terrain and rolled onto its left side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor system, fuselage, and tail boom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.