Robinson R44 II N442JE

Summary

On 22 July 2022 at about 14:20 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N442JE was involved in an accident near Waterloo, Illinois, United States. One person was 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

22 July 2022 at 14:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Waterloo, Illinois, United States

Coordinates

38.3359, -90.1498

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N442JE

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2004

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN22LA333

Nobody was injured.

The malfunction of the flight controls for undetermined reasons.

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 maneuvering at low altitude to apply fungicide to a corn field. The collective flight control stiffened to a point that the pilot was unable to arrest the helicopter’s descent rate. The pilot attempted to use cyclic control to flare the helicopter and arrest the descent; however, the cyclic control was not responsive, and the helicopter impacted the ground. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom, fuselage, and main rotor system. The pilot stated that he suspected that the flight controls’ hydraulic assist system malfunctioned. During the on-site inspection, no obvious anomalies were found with the flight control system. Flight control continuity was confirmed on site. All 3 servos (2 forward and 1 aft) passed bench functionality tests and the hydraulic pump, reservoir, and fluids were normal. The right forward servo had a slightly bent piston shaft, but still was fully functional. The bent shaft was consistent with impact damage. The spool drives of each servo were examined and exhibited signatures consistent with normal operation. An examination of the hydraulic system components revealed no anomalies that would have precluded normal operations. The reason for the reported flight control malfunction could not be determined.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.