Robinson R44 II N4447A

Summary

On 21 August 2022 at about 00:30 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N4447A was involved in an accident near San Isidro, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 August 2022 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

San Isidro, Texas, United States

Coordinates

27.7261, -98.3681

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N4447A

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2009

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA400

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot’s improper decision to conduct an autorotation with a tailwind, which resulted in a hard landing and substantial damage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was practicing autorotations when the accident occurred. After successfully completing several autorotations from the same direction, he elected to attempt one from a different direction, which put the helicopter into a tailwind. During the maneuver, when the pilot rolled off the throttle, the helicopter “lost RPM”. He attempted to add power but was too low to the ground and the helicopter landed hard and rolled onto its side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and the pilot was seriously injured. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.