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| Date: | Tuesday 28 September 2021 |
| Time: | 19:00 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Raven II |
| Owner/operator: | Airman Helicopter Inc dba Lantana Helicopters |
| Registration: | N212HT |
| MSN: | 12217 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2008 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 818 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Miami Executive Airport (TMB/KTMB), Miami, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Standing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Miami Executive Airport, FL (TMB/KTMB) |
| Miami Executive Airport, FL (TMB/KTMB) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 28, 2021, at 1900 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R44 II helicopter, N212HT, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida. The private pilot sustained minor injuries and the three passengers were not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot landed the helicopter following a local sightseeing flight with three friends. Review of surveillance video revealed that, after touchdown, the passenger in the helicopter's left front seat began removing his shoulder harnesses and headset. The passenger moved the headset to his front when the helicopter began a rapid yaw to its left and rotated around the main rotor mast. After one full revolution, the helicopter lifted rapidly from the ground and climbed immediately out of the camera's view as it continued to rotate rapidly around the main rotor mast. Seconds later, the helicopter descended back into view in an uncontrolled descent. The main rotor disc severed the tailboom in two places ahead of the tail section, which included the tailrotor and tailrotor gearbox, before ground contact.
The pilot stated that he had reduced the throttle to idle after touchdown; however, review of the video indicated that the helicopter's main rotor speed remained constant at its maximum rpm throughout the approach, landing, ground operation, and the accident sequence.
The accident helicopter make and model was the subject of a Federal Aviation Administration Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR), which specified academic, flight training, qualification, and currency requirements for pilots acting as pilot-in-command. Review of the pilot's logbook revealed that he had not received the proper endorsements for operating the helicopter as pilot-in-command as a student pilot, nor had he complied with the annual requirements of the SFAR after receiving his private pilot certificate. Additionally, at the time of the accident, he did not meet the currency requirements specified by the SFAR for carrying passengers in the accident helicopter make/model.
Examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Based on the available information, the pilot's loss of control and the helicopter's uncontrolled takeoff was likely due to his misapplication of collective control after landing or his failure to guard the collective against the passenger's interference. The pilot displayed a history of intentional noncompliance with regulations, including the SFAR and medical certificate requirements. The pilot's loss of helicopter control after landing is consistent with his lack of recent flight experience and his failure to comply with the training and currency requirements of the SFAR.
Probable Cause: The pilot's loss of helicopter control after landing. Also causal was the pilot's intentional operation of the helicopter without the required training, experience, and endorsements.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ERA21LA387
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=103995
FAA register: https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N212HT
Location
Images:
Photo: FAA
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Sep-2021 10:37 | gerard57 | Added |
| 29-Sep-2021 11:37 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 29-Sep-2021 11:37 | RobertMB | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 01-Oct-2021 03:23 | Captain Adam | Updated [Narrative, ] |
| 19-Aug-2023 08:29 | ASN Update Bot | Updated |
| 19-Aug-2023 08:30 | harro | Updated |
| 23-Dec-2024 20:28 | Captain Adam | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
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