Robinson R44 II N929WA

Summary

On 17 February 2022 at about 15:00 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N929WA, operated by Wings Air Helicopters LLC, was involved in an accident near White Plains, New York, 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

17 February 2022 at 15:00

Classification

Accident

Location

White Plains, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Westchester County (HPN)

Coordinates

41.0670, -73.7076

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N929WA

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2018

Engines

1

Operator

Wings Air Helicopters LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New York → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA22LA135

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain stabilized lateral control during landing in gusty conditions which resulted in a dynamic rollover when the skids contacted the platform unevenly.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial helicopter pilot was attempting to land on a mobile landing platform in gusty conditions. As the helicopter settled down onto the helipad, the skids contacted the pad unevenly, which caused it to tilt to the right. The pilot attempted to correct and lowered the collective, but the helicopter rapidly entered a dynamic rollover and struck the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage, mast, and main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.