Robinson R44 II N4174L
26 July 2023 · Charles City, Iowa, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 26 July 2023 at about 16:00 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N4174L, operated by Back Nine Aerial LLC, was involved in an accident near Charles City, Iowa, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Charles City, Iowa, United States
- Coordinates
- 43.0235, -92.7671
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44 II
- Registration
- N4174L
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 2008
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Back Nine Aerial LLC
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Aerial Application
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- West Union → Charles City
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CEN23LA326
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Probable cause
The pilot’s improper preflight of the helicopter to ensure that it was within the loading and performance limitations that resulted in settling and impact with terrain during initial climb.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot of the aerial application flight stated that when the flight returned to the load truck, it still had aerial application product aboard, which he was unaware of. He requested and received an additional 60 gallons of product that was loaded onto the helicopter for the accident flight. After loading the helicopter with the additional product, it now was about 172 lbs over the helicopter’s gross weight. When the helicopter departed from the load truck on the accident flight, the helicopter experienced a decay in rotor rpm and settled into an adjacent corn field about 75 ft from the truck. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main and tail rotor blades and tail boom. The pilot stated that he was not properly prepared to jettison the load in the event of an emergency and his power cross checks were not adequate. The pilot stated that there was no mechanical malfunction/failure of the helicopter. An excessive load would have reduced the climb performance capability of the helicopter and resulted in settling.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Robinson R44 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 May 2023 | Robinson R44 II | Skwentna, Alaska, United States | Willow Creek Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 May 2023 | Robinson R44 II | Bradenton, Florida, United States | Registration Pending | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 2023 | Robinson R44 | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 2023 | Robinson R44 | Sao Paulo, Brazil | - | Fatal | 4 |
| 6 Dec 2023 | Robinson R44 II | Calexico, California, United States | Merten Aviation Services LLC | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jan 2023 | Robinson R44 | Hamilton Island, Australia | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Jul 2023 | Berkut 540 | Cedar Rapids, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Jan 2023 | Cessna 182M | Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States | Neverland LLC | No injuries | - |
| 26 Nov 2023 | Cessna 560XL | Council Bluffs, Iowa, United States | Ultra Air, LLC | No injuries | - |
| 20 May 2023 | North American-Buehn T-6G | Ankeny, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Dec 2023 | Cirrus SR22T | Davenport, Iowa, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 May 2023 | Bellanca 8KCAB | Larchwood, Iowa, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |