ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 188354
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| Date: | Thursday 23 June 2016 |
| Time: | 14:25 |
| Type: |  Robinson R66 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N117TW |
| MSN: | 0042 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2011 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 662 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls Royce 250-C300A1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Maricopa County, near Wikieup, north of Aguila, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Prescott, AZ (PRC) |
| Riverside, CA (RAL) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot and the pilot-rated passenger departed on a cross-country positioning flight. The helicopter was reported overdue when it did not arrive at the destination, and the wreckage was located the following morning. There were no witnesses to the accident, no recorded radar data, and no recorded radio transmissions from the pilot.
Examination of the wreckage revealed no evidence of any preexisting anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter. There was evidence that a mast bumping event had occurred and that the main rotor blades had contacted the airframe, which resulted in an in-flight break-up. There was no recorded information available that could be used to determine the helicopter's airspeed, altitude, or the pilot's control inputs.
A weather study indicated that conditions were conducive to the development of significant updrafts or thermals of rising air and dust devils, and people near the accident site reported that there were numerous dust devils in the area.
It is likely that the helicopter encountered turbulence due to updrafts and/or dust devils, and the pilot lost control of the helicopter, which resulted in mast bumping.
Probable Cause: An encounter with turbulence due to updrafts and/or dust devils that resulted in mast bumping and an in-flight break-up.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
https://flightaware.com/resources/registration/N117TW
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Jun-2016 15:42 | Geno | Added |
| 25-Jun-2016 02:57 | Geno | Updated [Time, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 04-Jul-2016 09:13 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Nature, Source, Narrative] |
| 09-Jul-2016 14:50 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Dec-2017 20:00 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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