ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 177762
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| Date: | Sunday 12 July 2015 |
| Time: | 13:00 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta |
| Owner/operator: | Cornerstone Maganement |
| Registration: | N441MM |
| MSN: | 3057 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2000 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 1992 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-J2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Location: | Main Canyon, 10 miles west of Escalante, Garfield County, Utah -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Escalante Municipal Airport, Escalante, Utah (FAA LID: 1L7) |
| Kanab Municipal Airport, Kanab, Utah (KNB/KKNB) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On July 12, 2015, about 13.00 MDT (Mountain Daylight Time), a Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter, N441MM, was substantially damaged when it collided with rising terrain 10 miles west of Escalante, Utah. The pilot sustained serious injury and his passenger sustained minor injury. The helicopter was registered to Cornerstone Management in Newark, Delaware, and operated by the pilot as a day, visual flight rules, personal flight under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The helicopter departed private property near Escalante, about 12:30 MDT.
According to the pilot, he had departed a friend's property after refuelling. He reported that, as the helicopter was travelling up a canyon and climbing in rising mountainous terrain, he noticed a substantial tailwind gust. He reported that the helicopter's airspeed had decreased below Effective Translational Lift (ETL) and that the helicopter had stopped climbing. The pilot reported that he immediately made a left turn with the intention of reversing course and subsequently turning into the wind. The pilot reported that after turning left approximately 90 degrees, he noticed a change in engine noise, he heard the Low Rotor RPM Warning Horn, and "dropped the collective" to regain rotor rpm as he continued to try to make the turn into the wind, but the helicopter was about 50 ft above ground level (AGL). The pilot said that he was unable to regain the decreased rotor rpm and the helicopter impacted the terrain. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tailboom.
The terrain elevation at the accident site was 7,461 feet, and the temperature at the time of the accident was 75 degrees Fahrenheit (F). The Pressure Altitude (PA) was 7,011 ft. and the density altitude (DA) was 9,600 ft.
The calculated gross weight of the helicopter at the time of the accident was 1,400.42 pounds. Per the Robinson 22 Pilot Operating Handbook (R22 POH), maximum allowable gross weight was 1,370 pounds. Per the R22 POH, the maximum weight when operating at 7,011 ft. PA and 75 degrees F is 1,275 pounds. The pilot reported that he executed an immediate left turn after experiencing a tail wind gust.
According to the manufacturer, when the R22 main rotor RPM falls below 515 RPM, the low rotor RPM horn sounds. Subsequently the main and tail rotor inertia decreases rapidly and the helicopter descends, or airspeed is traded for altitude. According to the pilot, when he heard the low rotor RPM horn he lowered the collective and the helicopter impacted the ground and came to rest on its left side facing west.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s inadequate preflight planning and his subsequent decision to attempt to climb over rising terrain with the helicopter over maximum gross weight while operating in high-density altitude conditions with a tailwind, which resulted in its inability to maintain a positive climb rate and a subsequent impact with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
2. FAA register: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N441MM
3. http://helihub.com/2015/07/12/12-jul-15-n441mm-robinson-r22-panguitch-us-utah/
4. http://archive.sltrib.com/article.php?id=2725614&itype=CMSID
5. https://www.deseretnews.com/article/865632493/St-George-father-son-injured-in-helicopter-crash.html?
6. https://www.stgeorgeutah.com/news/archive/2015/07/12/kss-st-george-man-son-transported-to-hospital-after-helicopter-crash/#.W3W7a-hKjIU
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 14-Jul-2015 05:46 | Geno | Added |
| 28-Jan-2016 17:20 | Anon. | Updated [Damage] |
| 05-Aug-2016 12:08 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Operator, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Oct-2016 17:34 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Oct-2016 17:36 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 18-Oct-2016 17:36 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:30 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 01-Dec-2017 15:03 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 16-Aug-2018 18:05 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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