Robinson R44 II N331EL

Summary

On 9 April 2024 at about 12:30 local time, a Robinson R44 II registered N331EL was involved in an accident near South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States. 2 people were 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

9 April 2024 at 12:30

Classification

Accident

Location

South Kingstown, Rhode Island, United States

Coordinates

41.4374, -71.5725

Aircraft

Robinson R44 II

Registration

N331EL

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2023

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

North Kingstown → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA24LA171

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the water while maneuvering at low altitude.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was practicing various flight profiles over a pond in his helicopter. After completing the first profile, he began a profile that included a normal takeoff, a 10-ft hover, an acceleration to 40 kts, a climb to 50 ft above ground level, then a return to a 10-ft hover. On the pilot’s second attempt at this maneuver, when decelerating and descending back down to a 10 ft hover, the helicopter descended too low. The front skids caught the water and the helicopter descended into the pond, substantially damaging the tail rotor assembly and the main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. He also described that the weather and water conditions at the time of the accident were “calm and clear with no wind ripples on the water surface,” and that this produced a “mirroring effect” that hindered his depth perception.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.