ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 198807
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| Date: | Sunday 19 February 2017 |
| Time: | 09:45 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 II |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N804DF |
| MSN: | 11265 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2006 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1953 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Spofford, TX -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Spofford, TX (55XS) |
| Hondo, TX (HDO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of the skid-equipped helicopter reported that, the night before the accident flight, he hover-taxied into a hangar because convective activity was approaching the airport and he did not have ground-handling equipment (wheels) to move the helicopter. The following morning, he attempted to hover-taxi out of the hangar for a positioning flight, but the main rotor blade struck the top of the hangar door when the helicopter was about three-quarters of the way out of the hangar. Subsequently, the helicopter spun and rolled over onto its left side.
The main rotor and tailboom sustained substantial damage.
The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot's decision to hover-taxi out of the hangar and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from the hangar.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/hazardous-hangar-hovertaxy/
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 5 July 2008 | N804DF | Helicopter Tours of Texas | 0 | Canyon Lake, Cormal County, Texas | |
sub |
| VFR flight in IMC | ||||||
| 16 July 2015 | N804DF | 0 | Prairie Lea, Texas | |
sub | |
Location
Media:
#OTD in 2017: Hover taxying into a hangar to avoid a weather front may have been a dubious decision. But trying to hover taxy out when there was no urgency proved disastrous.https://t.co/PuLcfGXj5e #aviationsafety #flightsafety #helicopter #accident pic.twitter.com/wYFjwaicfP
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) February 19, 2021
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 19-Aug-2017 15:10 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
| 19-Feb-2021 10:36 | Aerossurance | Updated [Other fatalities, Phase, Nature, Source, Embed code] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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