ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 44303
This information is added by users of ASN. Neither ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | Friday 14 October 2005 |
| Time: | 11:45 |
| Type: |  Robinson R22 Beta II |
| Owner/operator: | private |
| Registration: | N7196J |
| MSN: | 3171 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 375 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-360-J2A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | 12 miles West South West of Eagar, Arizona -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Springerville Municipal Airport, Springerville, Arizona (FAA LID: D68) |
| Chandler, Arizona (CHD/LCHD) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On October 14, 2005, about 11:45 PDT (Pacific Daylight Time), a Robinson Helicopter Company R-22 Beta II, N7196J, impacted trees and mountainous terrain approximately 12 miles west-south-west of Eagar, Arizona. The helicopter was registered to and operated by both pilots under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Both private pilots on board (a married couple) were fatally injured and the helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter departed the Springerville Municipal Airport in Springerville, Arizona, at 11:27,PDT and was destined for Chandler, Arizona. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the departure airport and a visual flight rules flight plan was on file for the cross-country flight, but not activated.
According to the Springville Airport Manager, one of the pilots asked them to add 6 gallons of fuel in one tank and 7 gallons of fuel in the other and did not want the fuel tanks topped off due to the elevation. The manager added a total of 13.1 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation gasoline and observed the pilots planning their flight from Springerville to Chandler. The manager reported that they filed a flight plan and had obtained a weather briefing. The pilots then headed to the helicopter for their departure.
The manager reported that he and two other individuals watched the helicopter lift off the ground and wobble from side-to-side. The helicopter then settled to the ground and one of the skids made ground contact. The helicopter spun around 180 degrees and the helicopter lifted back up into the air. During the 180-degree rotation, the main rotor blade narrowly missed contacting the ground. The helicopter then settled back to the ground, narrowly missing ground contact with the tail rotor. The helicopter sat on the ground idling for a while before it lifted off again. The manager observed the helicopter takeoff and climb slowly toward the mountains situated to the southwest of the airport. The manager commented that the helicopter was "not climbing all that well."
The manager later received a call from the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) around 17:00 PDT on the 14th. The CAP reported receiving an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal near the Springerville airport. The manager checked the airport fleet and noted no ELT signal. He then checked on the airplanes that had been through that day and was able to track all but two; the accident Robinson helicopter and a Cessna 340. The manager called the flight service station and checked to see if the Robinson pilots had cancelled their flight plan in Chandler and was informed that they had not activated it.
The manager then called Chandler and learned that the helicopter had not arrived. He then conducted a local area aerial search with another pilot, to no avail. Upon returning to Springerville, the manager noticed the fuel cap from one of the Robinson fuel tanks was lying on the ramp where the helicopter took off.
The next morning, on the 15th, the CAP and the Apache County Sheriff's department continued search efforts, eventually locating the wreckage in mountainous terrain. The accident site was located at a GPS location of 34 degrees 03.601 minutes north latitude and 109 degrees 30.122 minutes west longitude. The accident site elevation was reported as 8,781 feet msl. According to the sheriff department personnel, there were a number of freshly cut trees in the vicinity of the helicopter with one of the main rotor blades coming to rest partly through a log.
CAUSE: The pilots' inadequate in-flight planning, which led the helicopter toward rising terrain in excess of the performance capability of the helicopter. Contributing factors were the high density altitude, and the rapidly rising terrain. The registration N7196J was formally cancelled by the FAA on February 14, 2006 as "Destroyed"
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
1. NTSB Identification: LAX06LA006 at https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief2.aspx?_ev_id=20051019X01693&ntsbno=LAX06LA006&akey=1
2. FAA: http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=7196J
3. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=695
4. http://www.sunlakesaeroclub.org/updates_web_data/051106/AZ_accidents_Oct.htm
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Oct-2008 00:45 | ASN archive | Added |
| 29-Sep-2016 17:37 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:
| ASN Home | Send Correction / Feedback |
| FSF Home | Disclaimer | Copyright |
| Contact Us | Privacy Policy |
| Press / Media |
CONNECT WITH US:
©2024 Flight Safety Foundation