ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 68353
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| Date: | Sunday 27 September 2009 |
| Time: | 18:30 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 II |
| Owner/operator: | Mojave Aviation |
| Registration: | N29LE |
| MSN: | 10269 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2003 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2492 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-540 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Mount Charleston, Clark County, Nevada -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada (VGT/KVGT) |
| North Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada (VGT/KVGT) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot stated that he was orbiting at 50 knots about 100 feet above the 11,800-foot mean sea level (msl) mountain peak. As he flew the helicopter out of the leeward side of the peak, he encountered a downdraft. He maneuvered the helicopter toward a wide open valley that descended about 5,000 feet below. The downdraft pushed the helicopter into the face of the mountain, despite the pilot's application of full collective and descending flight into the valley. The helicopter impacted the mountain slope, caught fire, and tumbled. The pilot and his two passengers egressed the burning helicopter with minor injuries. The pilot hiked to the peak, and called for rescue using a cell phone.
The calculated density altitude for the conditions was 13,918 feet. The published maximum operating density altitude for the helicopter was 14,000 feet. The pilot stated that the helicopter had no mechanical failures or malfunctions during the flight.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control and terrain clearance while maneuvering at a low altitude above high terrain. Contributing to the accident was a downdraft and high density altitude.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
2. FAA Registration: https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=N29LE
3. http://helihub.com/2009/09/27/27-sep-09-n29le-robinson-r44-mount-charleston-us-nevada/
4. http://www.griffin-helicopters.co.uk/accidentdetails.aspx?accidentkey=50832
5. https://lasvegassun.com/news/2009/sep/27/helicopter-crash-reported-mount-charleston/
6. https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/police-confirm-helicopter-crash-on-mount-charleston/
8. https://www.lasvegasnow.com/news/all-on-board-survive-mount-charleston-helicopter-crash/83205632
8. https://uk.flightaware.com/resources/registration/N29LE
9. https://planecrashmap.com/list/nv/
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Charleston
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 28-Sep-2009 09:59 | slowkid | Added |
| 28-Sep-2009 10:29 | CAN | Updated |
| 29-Sep-2009 10:55 | Anon. | Updated |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:25 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 02-Dec-2017 16:15 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 07-Nov-2018 19:30 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
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