ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 65632
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| Date: | Thursday 11 June 2009 |
| Time: | 10:00 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N149SH |
| MSN: | 4143 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2007 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 620 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-J2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Morristown, AZ -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Morristown, AZ |
| Morristown, AZ | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On June 11, 2009, about 10:00 MST (Mountain Standard Time), a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter, N149SH, collided with a power line during low altitude flight and descended uncontrolled to ground impact near Morristown, Arizona. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. The helicopter, which was registered to a private individual and operated by the pilot as a 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 flight, sustained substantial damage. The purpose of the local flight was to herd cattle for a ranch owner. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed.
The ranch owner stated that the pilot had worked for him before and was familiar with the area. He said that the day before the accident, the pilot made three flights between 09:00 MST and 17:00 MST. The pilot then had dinner with the ranch owner and spent the night at his home. In the morning, the pilot refuelled and inspected the helicopter before departing on the accident flight at approximately 07:30 MST. The ranch owner did not see or hear the accident.
A witness reported that the helicopter was rounding up stray cattle less than 1/4 mile from his residence. He had been listening to the helicopter for a while, and its engine sounded normal. He heard a "loud boom," and the power went out at his house. There was a hill between the house and the accident site, so he could not see the helicopter. He drove to the accident site and found the downed helicopter.
Another witness reported that she heard the helicopter working in the area and then suddenly heard a “loud bang, like a shotgun going off.” Then she heard the helicopter’s engine “sputtering a couple of times. Then it was quiet.” She drove to the scene and observed the helicopter on its side with a downed power transmission wire nearby.
The helicopter was found in rugged, mountainous terrain (elevation 2,302 feet) approximately 30 nautical miles northwest of Phoenix, Arizona, near Morristown. The terrain was sparsely covered with brush 6 to 14 feet high with scattered Saguaro cactus to 50 feet high. Downed power lines, wreckage debris, and aerial photographs were consistent with the helicopter's flight path being 320-340 degrees at the time of impact. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspectors responded to the accident site and reported that the helicopter came to rest on its right side. Both windshields were shattered and the right side of the fuselage was crushed. The aft portion of the tail boom was separated from the fuselage and segmented into three pieces. The tail cone and tail rotor blades were found approximately 75 feet from the fuselage.
Both main rotor blades sustained impact damage to their leading and trailing edges. Both blades were bent down 20-25 degrees near the root, and one was bent down 80 degrees approximately 4 feet in from the tip. One blade had blue transfer marks, which matched the paint on the fuselage, and the other blade had red transfer marks, which appeared to match the color of the “Danger” decal located on the tail cone.
There was a row of evenly spaced wire strike marks, 2-4 inches long with approximately 1-inch spacing, located on the left side of the nose and chin. They began at the lower windshield retainer, 6 inches left of the center bow and continued down and back to the top of the forward left landing gear strut. The leading edge of the left landing gear strut exhibited wire contact marks, which varied in spacing from approximately 1/3-inch to constant scuffing. The left skid tube was scuffed on its upper surface, forward of the forward strut, at varying lengths and spacing.
No evidence of any pre-impact mechanical discrepancies were found with the airplane's airframe or engine that would have prevented normal operation. There was no post-impact fire.
.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power line.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
2. FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=149SH
3. http://helihub.com/2009/06/11/11-jun-09-n149sh-robinson-r22-hot-springs-us-arizona/
4. https://planecrashmap.com/plane/az/N149SH/
5. http://www.abc15.com/content/news/phoenixmetro/north/story/Man-killed-after-helicopter-crashes-north-of/vAiPVs5X4UOSW_YlZZuSkQ.cspx
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Jun-2009 10:37 | slowkid | Added |
| 09-Jul-2010 11:29 | harro | Updated [Source] |
| 10-Jan-2012 08:05 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Oct-2016 12:51 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Oct-2016 12:53 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location] |
| 03-Oct-2016 12:55 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Narrative] |
| 03-Oct-2016 12:58 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 02-Dec-2017 15:36 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Sep-2018 19:38 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Feb-2022 00:14 | Captain Adam | Updated [Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source] |
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