ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44044
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| Date: | Sunday 13 August 2006 |
| Time: | 08:25 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Raven II |
| Owner/operator: | Civic Helicopters, Inc |
| Registration: | N168PT |
| MSN: | 10775 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2005 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 840 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | approximately 1 mile west of Camp Rilea, Warrenton, Oregon -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Ferry/positioning |
| Departure airport: | Pearson Field Airport, Vancouver, Washington (VUO/KVUO) |
| Astoria Regional Airport, Astoria, Oregon (AST/KAST) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On August 13, 2006, about 08:25 PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), a Robinson R44 II (Raven) helicopter, N168PT, impacted the ocean waters approximately 1 mile west of Camp Rilea, Warrenton, Clatsop County, Oregon (at approximate coordinates 46'07.499"N and 123'58.906"W).
The helicopter was destroyed and the three occupants, a private pilot seated in the front right seat (first pilot), a commercial pilot/flight instructor seated in the left front seat (second pilot) and passenger seated in the rear seat, were killed. Civic Helicopters of Carlsbad, California operated the helicopter, which was on a 14 CFR Part 91 positioning flight when the accident occurred. The flight departed Pearson Field Airport, Vancouver, Washington, about 07:30 PDT with an intended intermediate destination of Astoria, Oregon. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport and instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the accident site. No flight plan was filed for the cross-country flight.
The accident helicopter was one in a flight of two that departed Vancouver. The second helicopter was a Bell 206B Jet Ranger (N2183Y). Both helicopters were participating in "Flight of Discovery" to film a local event commemorating the Lewis and Clark expedition. The pilots planned to land in Astoria, Oregon, for fuel and then continue to Long Beach, Washington.
In a written statement to the National Transportation Safety Board's Investigator-in-Charge, the pilot seated in the right seat of the Jet Ranger stated there was an overcast layer over Astoria when the two helicopters arrived, and they elected to continue the flight to the west, over water, in an effort to find a break in the overcast.
The passenger seated in the aft seat of the Jet Ranger reported that the first pilot in the R44 was a recently certificated private pilot. The first pilot hired the second pilot to provide instruction during the flight as needed.
The Jet Ranger flight crew consisted of two pilots, a private pilot seated in the right front seat, and a commercial pilot/certified flight instructor seated in the left front seat. The Jet Ranger passenger reported that the pilot in the right seat was manipulating the controls of the Jet Ranger when they departed Vancouver. However, later in the flight when the weather deteriorated, the pilot in the left seat assumed control of the helicopter.
The Jet Ranger passenger also reported that the pilots of both helicopters were in continuous contact with one another during the flight and that as the weather conditions deteriorated, the second pilot in the accident helicopter queried the left seat pilot in the Jet Ranger as to what they should do with respect to the weather. The witness reported that the second pilot in the accident helicopter repeated the request a second time before receiving a response. The witness reported the left seat pilot in the Jet Ranger "took the controls" and stated "I'm going to go through it" followed by "stay right behind me." The second pilot in the accident helicopter agreed. The witness reported that when the Jet Ranger entered the fog, the accident helicopter was "behind and above us." The witness stated the second pilot in the accident helicopter radioed the left seat pilot asking, "How fast are you descending?" The Jet Ranger instructor pilot stated "very slow." The witness reported that approximately 30 seconds later; the instructor pilot of the Jet Ranger stated, "Go back up... it's too low. It's much lower than we thought. Go back up right now."
The witness stated that as the Jet Ranger ascended, the left seat pilot attempted to contact the accident helicopter, however the attempts were unsuccessful and the Jet Ranger departed the area and landed in Astoria.
After landing in Astoria, the instructor pilot in the Jet Ranger contacted emergency personnel via 911 and reported he had lost communications with the accident helicopter and believed that it had crashed.
A search for the helicopter was initiated and about 08:45 PDT two orange "life vests" and miscellaneous debris were located floating in the water at 46:07.499 N and 123:58.906 W. The bodies of both pilots and passenger were recovered in the general area later that day. Numerous smaller pieces of helicopter wreckage were recovered from the water, however a majority of the wreckage was not located.
The 07:55 PDT hourly METAR observation at Astoria was, in part, visibility 5 statute miles and mist, overcast clouds at 400 feet, temperature 13 degrees C; dew point 12 degrees C. At 09:05 PDT Coast Guard search and rescue (SAR) personnel reported the weather one mile west of Camp Rilea was, in part, visibility 1 mile; overcast ceiling at 100 feet and winds from the northwest at 10 knots.
Probable Cause: The pilot's intentional flight into instrument meteorological conditions while maneuvering which resulted in an in flight collision with terrain/water.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. NTSB Accident Number: SEA06FA159 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20060817X01202&key=1
2. FAA Registration: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=N168PT
3. https://tdn.com/business/local/helicopter-crash-near-astoria-kills/article_ac6e06b6-369d-5b0e-be91-f3a8ab25ec25.html
4. http://www.salem-news.com/articles/august132006/helo_crash_81306.php
5. https://planecrashmap.com/plane/or/N168PT/
6. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=48289
7. http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000038480.html
8. https://uk.flightaware.com/resources/registration/N168PT
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astoria_Regional_Airport
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearson_Field
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 05-Dec-2017 09:21 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2018 21:05 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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