ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 165291
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| Date: | Sunday 6 April 2014 |
| Time: | 12:15 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Rotortrends Inc |
| Registration: | N13HG |
| MSN: | 2603 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1996 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2889 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-J2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Range Creek area of Emery County, near Green River, Utah -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Private Helipad, Green River, Utah |
| Private Helipad, Green River, Utah | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On April 6, 2014, about 12:15 MDT (Mountain Daylight Time), a Robinson R22 Beta II, N13HG, collided with terrain near Green River, Utah. The pilot was operating the helicopter under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91. Pilot Robin Venuti, (aged 38) and passenger Albert Rubio sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter sustained substantial damage during the accident sequence. The local personal flight departed from private property near Green River about 11:15 MDT. Visual (VMC) meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed.
The family reported that the intention of the flight was to look for shed elk antlers. They reported that the helicopter was overdue about 18:00 MDT on April 6, and the Utah Highway Patrol initiated a search. Using signals from a cell tower and an emergency locator transmitter (ELT), they discovered the wreckage about 13:00 MDT the following day.
Onsite wreckage documentation revealed that the main rotor blades did not show evidence of rotation at the time of ground contact, and the rotating components of the airframe exhibited little damage. The gascolator container was stained an orange/brown color at the bottom and along the sides. Fluid drained from the gascolator was colorless but murky and had a faint smell of gasoline. A water/alcohol-indicating paste test revealed water contamination in the sample. If the pilot had drained fuel from the helicopter's fuel tank or gascolator before the flight, he would most likely have discovered the contamination. Other than the contaminated fuel, postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter.
The pilot kept aviation fuel in a barrel on his property, and he would pump the fuel into 5-gallon plastic cans, which he used to fuel the helicopter. Testing of the fluid in some of the cans revealed significant water contamination. One of the cans contained a mixture of about 50 percent aviation fuel and 50 percent water, and another contained a mixture of about 85 percent aviation fuel and 15 percent water.
The lack of damage to the main rotor blades and the rotating components of the airframe indicate that it is likely that the engine experienced a loss of power due to water contamination of the fuel. In order to spot antlers, the pilot was likely maneuvering at a low altitude; therefore, he had little time to react to a loss of engine power or locate a suitable landing site in the rough terrain.
Probable Cause: A loss of engine power due to fuel contamination while maneuvering at a low altitude and the pilot's inadequate pre-flight inspection, which failed to detect the contamination. Airframe presumably written off as "damaged beyond economic repair", as the registration N13HG was cancelled by the FAA on February 28 2018
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
2. FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=13HG
3. http://helihub.com/2014/04/06/06-apr-14-robinson-r22-range-creek-us-utah-2f/
4. http://suindependent.com/final-findings-helicopter-crash-venuti/
5. http://www.moabtimes.com/view/full_story/24907283/article-Two-men-killed-in-helicopter-crash-near-Range-Creek?instance=home_news_1st_left
6. https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2014/04/07/missing-helicopter-located-2-found-deceased/#.W3sqcehKjIU
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Apr-2014 09:43 | gerard57 | Added |
| 08-Apr-2014 13:22 | gerard57 | Updated [Location, Source] |
| 08-Apr-2014 16:24 | Geno | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Location, Phase, Departure airport, Source] |
| 08-Apr-2014 19:41 | Alpine Flight | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 16-Apr-2014 22:13 | Geno | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Sep-2015 20:25 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Oct-2016 12:54 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Oct-2016 15:52 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 16-Oct-2016 15:52 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Source] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 29-Nov-2017 14:02 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 20-Aug-2018 21:00 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 30-Aug-2018 23:27 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Nature, Narrative] |
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