ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 48457
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| Date: | Sunday 2 November 2008 |
| Time: | 18:12 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 |
| Owner/operator: | Noble Aviation LLC |
| Registration: | N300FX |
| MSN: | 1102 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 685 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-F1 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | State Road 109 Bridge, Cumberland River, Gallatin, Tennessee -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Training |
| Departure airport: | Lebanon Municipal Airport, Lebanon, Tennessee (FAA LID: M54) |
| Cornelia Fort Airpark Nashville, Tennesse (FAA LID:M88) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On November 2, 2008, about 18:12 CST (Central Standard Time), a Robinson R-44 helicopter, N300FX, registered to a private individual, was substantially damaged when it impacted into the Cumberland River in Gallatin, Tennessee. (At State Road 109 Bridge, at approximate coordinates 36'33.6389"N, 86'43.8056"W). The certificated private pilot was killed. The solo instructional flight was operated by Noble Aviation LLC., under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, and no flight plan was filed. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight departed Lebanon Municipal Airport (M54), Lebanon, Tennessee, at 18:00 CST, en route to Cornelia Fort Airpark, Nashville (M88).
According to witnesses in the local area, about 18:10 CST, they heard the helicopter in the immediate area. They stated that they believed that it crashed in the Cumberland River just west of the State Road (SR) 109 bridge. One witness stated that he heard two distinctive "Wap Wap" sounds, then nothing. Another witness stated that she heard a "metal to metal" sound, then the impact. She believed that something had hit her metal boat dock. However, examination of the boat dock revealed no damage.
Radar data indicated that the helicopter flew to the river, then flew to mid channel, and followed the river’s path as it turned to the left. The helicopter then crossed over the SR 109 bridge and disappeared. No altitude readouts were associated with the radar data.
The pilot was located and recovered on November 11, 2008; the main wreckage was located on November 16, 2008, and recovered on November 18, 2008. The helicopter, which was found submerged in about 16 feet of water, was recovered using a flat top barge and crane. The helicopter was recovered in two pieces: the cabin and main rotor system, and the tail boom and tail rotor system.
Probable Cause: The pilot's inadvertent descent into water as a result of the dark night and limited outside visual references.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
2. FAA Registration: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=N300FX
3. http://www.planecrashmap.com/plane/tn/N300FX
4. https://uk.flightaware.com/resources/registration/N300FX
5. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=49628
6. http://www.bcwr-ky.com/site/news/2008/(12.02.2008)%20Water%20Rescue%20Finds%20Helicopter.pdf.
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 12-Nov-2008 10:33 | cessna150cc | Added |
| 12-Nov-2008 10:35 | harro | Updated |
| 18-Feb-2012 15:29 | Dr. John Smith | Updated [Time, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:24 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 03-Dec-2017 12:11 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 03-Nov-2018 19:13 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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