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| Date: | Tuesday 22 March 2022 |
| Time: | 10:00 LT |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 II |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N44DQ |
| MSN: | 10821 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2005 |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Howe, ID -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Rexburg Madison County Airport, ID (RXE/KRXE) |
| Rexburg Madison County Airport, ID (RXE/KRXE) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot of the helicopter reported that, while flying in mountainous terrain, he decided to land on top of a ridge for a rest break. The pilot performed a circling reconnaissance of the area before he began his descent to his intended landing spot. During the descent, the pilot felt a wind gust from behind, then the rotor rpm began to decay, and the low rotor rpm light illuminated along with the aural warning horn. The pilot attempted to reestablish power without success as the helicopter continued to descend. To avoid going over the ridge, the pilot intentionally lowered the helicopter to the ground and rolled the helicopter onto its right side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate rotor rpm while descending with a gusting tailwind condition, which resulted in a loss of helicopter control.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR22LA132
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=104844
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 28 November 2013 | N44DQ | Upper Limit Aviation | 0 | Tunica Municipal Airport, MS (UTM/KUTA) | |
sub |
Location
Media:
R44 pilot "decided to land on top of a ridge for a rest break". #NTSB: "failure to maintain adequate rotor rpm while descending with a gusting tailwind condition" https://t.co/wDEfgIQHAV #helicopter #accident #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/o4wKFbrinN
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) November 5, 2022
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Nov-2022 20:31 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
| 05-Nov-2022 17:41 | Aerossurance | Updated [Operator, Location, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative, ] |
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