ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 34631
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Date: | Thursday 26 February 1998 |
Time: | 13:18 |
Type: | Robinson R22 |
Owner/operator: | Lynn A. Efting |
Registration: | N8457J |
MSN: | 0377 |
Year of manufacture: | 1983 |
Total airframe hrs: | 2871 hours |
Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
Category: | Accident |
Location: | Littlerock, Los Angeles County, California -
United States of America
|
Phase: | En route |
Nature: | Private |
Departure airport: | Adelanto, California (FAA LID: 52CL) |
Destination airport: | Whiteman Airport, Pacoima, Los Angeles, Cakiformia (WHP/KWHP) |
Investigating agency: | NTSB |
Confidence Rating: | Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Narrative:On February 26, 1998, at 13:18 hours PST (Pacific Standard Time), a Robinson R22, N8457J, impacted terrain in a ravine near Littlerock, California. The aircraft was destroyed and the commercial pilot/owner, the sole occupant, suffered fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, and originated from a private airport at Adelanto, California, at 13:00 PST.
The right-hand cockpit door of the helicopter and pieces of the windshield Plexiglas were found in a debris field approximately 1/4 mile east of the main wreckage. Witnesses reported that winds at the time of the accident were westerly at 20 to 25 knots. One witness reported he heard a loud "schwapp-like" noise followed shortly by engine silence, and then saw the helicopter disappear from view in a near vertical descent.
The pilot of a sheriff's department helicopter located the wreckage, landed nearby, and was the first person on scene. He reported that the surface winds were from the west at 20 -25 knots and that it was "bumpy and turbulent" in the area when he arrived. He also said that there was the smell of fuel in proximity of the fuel tank and he noted that the cap from the fuel tank had been ejected and was laying on the ground opposite the tank, about 15 feet up slope. The citizen who had called in the report of the accident arrived at the scene and said he had seen the aircraft roll to the left and fall.
A friend of the pilot, who is a student helicopter pilot, reported that on the day of the accident, the pilot flew the accident helicopter from Whiteman to the friend's hangar at Adelanto private airport and back. He did not refuel. They were going to fly the friend's Rotorway helicopter; however, the friend said that the wind was blowing about 15 knots and he was experiencing translational lift in hover which made him uneasy so he landed and put the helicopter away.
They then got in the car and drove around the airport for 3 or 4 hours before the pilot departed for home. The friend said that he had frequently flown in the R22 with the pilot and that he cruised at 21 inches manifold pressure, which gave about an 80-knot indicated airspeed. The pilot also had told him to slow down in turbulence but not below 60 knots.
Another friend, also a helicopter rated pilot, characterized the pilot as a "very conservative, better than average" pilot whom "always wanted to learn more." He had "good ability for a man his age." The two men had attended a CFI renewal conference at the HAI convention in February (1998) where low-g flight and mast bumping were discussed. The friend said "he was well aware of it."
This friend recalled two instances when they had encountered turbulence while flying up to the desert from Whiteman in the R22. He said he was alarmed by the amount of [acoustic] blade slap in the turbulence. They turned around and went home. When asked about airspeeds flown, the friend recalled that the pilot was always "very conservative in cruise setting, a little below recommended."
CAUSE: The pilot's improper use of the rotor craft cyclic control in response to encountering terrain induced turbulence. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to obtain a pre-flight weather briefing which contained precautionary notices for turbulence.
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: LAX98FA098 at
https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20001211X09565&ntsbno=LAX98FA098&akey=1 2. FAA:
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=8457J 3.
http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=1319 4.
http://planecrashmap.com/plane/ca/N8457J/ Revision history:
Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
24-Oct-2008 10:30 |
ASN archive |
Added |
23-Sep-2016 13:24 |
Dr.John Smith |
Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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