ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 140477
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| Date: | Saturday 2 April 1994 |
| Time: | 14:40 LT |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Astro |
| Owner/operator: | private |
| Registration: | D-HTOP |
| MSN: | 0013 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1993 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | ca 8 mi E of Hannover -
 Germany
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Hanover-Langenhagen Airport, Hanover, Germany |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
On April 2, 1994, about 1345 local time, a Robinson R44 helicopter, registered in Germany as D-HTOP, crashed about 8 miles east of Hanover, Germany, during an intended pleasure flight. The private pilot and his wife were killed. The pilot was qualified in fixed-wing airplanes and helicopters. His total flight experience was not known, but he had logged 110 hours of R22 flight time. This was the pilot's first unsupervised flight after receiving more than 5 hours of R44 instruction and his R44 type-rating checkout. The NTSB and the FAA participated in the German Accidents Investigation Bureau's investigation of the accident.
The investigation revealed that the main rotor blades struck the cockpit area of the fuselage. The evidence indicates that the helicopter yawed sharply due to the blade strike, and the structure of the tail boom wrinkled and then failed, resulting in separation of the tail boom.
The main rotor mast shows evidence of being bumped by the main rotor blades, and the main rotor system separated from the helicopter. No precipitating mechanical failure of the helicopter was found. The investigation did not determine the reason for the main rotor blade divergence that resulted in the rotor striking the body of the helicopter during powered flight
At least three German-registered Robinson R44s - D-HTOP, D-HPHS, and D-HFSD - were lost in circumstances similar to the above, and the NTSB report confirmed that there were a near-identical problem with the main rotor in all three cases.
Sources:
1. http://www.helionline.net/templates/sites/casualties.html
2. http://www.rotorshop.com/sir9603.pdf
3. http://www.libertyhelicopters.co.uk/NTSB_Special%20Report/NTSB_R44Reports/Hanover_Germany.htm
4. https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.recsearch/Recommendation.aspx?Rec=A-95-001
5. http://www.rotorshop.com/sir9603.pdf
6. https://www.pprune.org/private-flying/490228-helicopter-ppl.html#post7289881
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 18-Dec-2011 20:06 | Dr. John Smith | Added |
| 06-Sep-2014 18:30 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 12-Oct-2018 13:33 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 27-Oct-2019 18:55 | TB | Updated [Operator, Location] |
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