ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 22913
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| Date: | Sunday 21 September 2008 |
| Time: | 05:38 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 II |
| Owner/operator: | Midwestern Air Services LLC |
| Registration: | N999ZD |
| MSN: | 11108 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2006 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 318 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 6998 97th Avenue, Kenosha, Wisconsin -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Horseshoe Casino Heliport, Whiting, Indiana (FAA LID:2IG3) |
| Kenosha Regional Airport, near Kenosha, Wisconsin (ENV/KENV) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On September 21, 2008, about 05:38 CDT (Central Daylight Time), a Robinson R44 II helicopter, N999ZD, owned by Midwestern Air Services LLC, was destroyed when it impacted an occupied house and terrain at 6998 97th Avenue, Kenosha, Wisconsin. (At approximate coordinates 42'62.1667"N, 87'95.972"W).
A ground fire subsequently occurred. The personal flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The private pilot and a passenger were fatally injured. The five occupants in the house were uninjured. The flight originated from the Horseshoe Casino Heliport (2IG3), near Whiting, Indiana, about 0507, and was destined for the Kenosha Regional Airport (ENW), near Kenosha, Wisconsin, when the accident occurred.
According to information provided by Horseshoe Casino, the pilot landed at 19:07 CDT on September 20, 2008. The pilot and passenger had dinner, they observed a concert, and gambled. The pilot had a glass of wine with his dinner about 19:30 CDT. About 01:39 CDT on September 21, 2008, a beverage confirmed to be a Captain Morgan's (dark rum) and diet Coke in a short glass was given to the pilot. About 01:46 CDT, another Captain Morgan's and diet Coke in a tall glass was given to the pilot. About 02:13 CDT, the pilot set the first glass down empty. About 04:23 CDT, the pilot took a drink from the second drink glass. The glass was about half full. The pilot gambled until about 04:49 CDT and then he and his passenger departed for 2IG3. The pilot and passenger departed from 2IG3 about 05:07 CDT.
A Wisconsin State Patrol Trooper who was outside the weight facility on Interstate 94 at the Illinois and Wisconsin State Line about six miles south of the accident site heard a helicopter heading north at a "very low altitude" and estimated it at 500 feet. He did not see the helicopter or its lights due to the "dense fog." He stated that the visibility there was about 300 to 500 feet.
A witness who lived near the accident site gave a statement to the Kenosha Police Department. The witness stated that a low flying helicopter was heard. It circled once then went away and came back. The witness saw an orange flash through the window and heard a "boom." The witness said the helicopter sounded "really low" and the "engine sounded like it was at low RPMs."
A witness from the occupied house on the northwest corner of 97th Avenue and 70th Street that was impacted by the helicopter gave a statement to the police department. The witness, in part, reported:
"My family and I were fast asleep in our residence when I heard and felt a loud bang like thunder, and then a cloud of debris came [through] our bedroom door. My wife and I were in the southeast bedroom. Our two sons were in the northeast bedroom and our daughter was the bedroom over the garage. We got our kids and [with] the help of our neighbors made it down the stairs and outside.
None of us were injured. I saw the flames across the street and one of our neighbors told me a helicopter hit our house"
The helicopter came to rest about 1.5 miles south of ENW. The main portion of the helicopter wreckage was found on a neighbor's lawn across 97th Avenue from the impacted house. The helicopter was resting on its left side about 80 feet and about 106 degrees magnetic from the front of the impacted house. A debris path started at the rear of the second floor above the house's central staircase where the helicopter had come through the roof. The debris path was observed down those central stairs and through the front of the house. The path continued across 97th Avenue and went up to the resting helicopter. The helicopter's resting heading was about 180 degrees magnetic. The rear and lower portions of the helicopter cabin, inner portions of the fuel tanks, and the transmission between the fuel tanks were deformed and melted by fire. Sections of the main rotor blades remained attached to the rotor hub. The landing skids and crosstube were detached from the fuselage and were found in sections through out the debris path. The tail cone remained attached to the helicopter. The tail rotor gearbox separated from the tailcone. A circular area of lawn around the wreckage exhibited charring and blight. The hour meter read 318.6 hours.
Probable Cause: The pilots failure to maintain clearance from terrain resulting in an in-flight collision with a house. Contributing to the accident was the night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and the pilot's lack of experience of flying in IMC.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: CHI08FA293 at https://www.ntsb.gov/about/employment/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?ev_id=20080925X01525&ntsbno=CHI08FA293&akey=1
2. FAA Registration: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=N999ZD
3. https://planecrashmap.com/plane/wi/N999ZD/
4. https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-sun-times/20080922/281595236341353
5. https://www.nbc15.com/home/headlines/29025494.html
6. https://www.foxnews.com/story/helicopter-crashes-into-house-in-wisconsin-2-killed
7. https://www.twincities.com/2008/09/21/victims-in-kenosha-helicopter-crash-identified/
8. http://edition.cnn.com/2008/US/09/21/helicopter.crash/index.html?_s=PM:US
9. https://virtualglobetrotting.com/map/house-destroyed-by-a-helicopter-crash/view/google/
10. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/journaltimes/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=117886384
11. https://www.weau.com/home/headlines/29182699.html
Location
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 21-Sep-2008 23:14 | jorgetadeu7 | Added |
| 22-Sep-2008 10:50 | Topaz | Updated |
| 22-Sep-2008 10:54 | Topaz | Updated |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:14 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:16 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:20 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 03-Dec-2017 12:07 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Nov-2018 18:32 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
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