ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 70154
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| Date: | Tuesday 24 November 2009 |
| Time: | 14:22 LT |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 Astro |
| Owner/operator: | Tamir Airways |
| Registration: | 4X-BDM |
| MSN: | 0519 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1998 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Mediterranean Sea, 300 metres Off coast at Sironit Beach, Netanya -
 Israel
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Golan Heights, Israel |
| Sde Dov, Tel Aviv, Israel (LLSD) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information verified through data from accident investigation authorities |
On November 24, 2009, about 12:22 UTC (Universal Coordinated Time)(14:22 local time), a Robinson R44 Astro, 4X-BDM, crashed into the water near the shoreline at Sironit Beach, Netanya, Israel. TAMIR Airlines ltd was operating the helicopter under the provisions of the Israel Civil Aviation Regulations. The two pilots and two passengers were killed; the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The cross-country flight was en route to Tel Aviv, Israel. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
Preliminary information received from the Ministry of Transport, State of Israel, indicated that the helicopter was flying parallel to the shoreline, and about 300 meters offshore. Witnesses noted that the helicopter then made a right bank into the water.
The helicopter flew four; Ran Lapid , a Yassour helicopter pilot and a pilot in El Al , Hadar Shavit , an ATR-72 pilot at Arkia and flight instructor Yoav Tamir , one of the owners of the company that operated the helicopter and another passenger, a friend of the three. Their death was determined on the spot.
On November 25, 2009, the wreckage of the helicopter was detected on the sea Bed: parts of Robinson R44 Helicopter were collected from the crash site offshore Netanya (Israel) after Side Scan sonar survey done by IOLR team on board R/V "Mediterranean Explorer" of EcoOcean. One of the blades in the main rotor was no longer connected to the top of the rotor, while the tail rotor, which eyewitnesses claimed to have disengaged and hit the main rotor, was still attached.
In the light of the findings, the investigators discovered a technical failure in the main blade, which was a stage or cause of an accident. At the end of the long investigation, which included meetings with representatives of the manufacturer, NTSB and FAA, and laboratory tests, the suspicion became a reality. It was also found that the identical accidents of the "Robinson" helicopters occurred in different places in the world.
In tests performed in Israel, it was proven that the moment a break was created due to burnout or corrosion between the blade and the center blade, the bolt was peeled off in one stroke and the whole hive structure of the blade flew out of the hub. Following the conclusions of the investigation of the Ministry of the Chief Investigator of the Ministry of Transport, the helicopter manufacturer recommended replacing the blades and the rotor head with its R22 and R44 helicopters in new models.
Additional: According to the following report in "Flight International" August 11. 2010 (see link #5)...
"Main rotor blade failure caused R44 crash
11 AUGUST, 2010
SOURCE: FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL
BY: ARIE EGOZI TEL AVIV
The fatal crash of a Robinson R44 helicopter (4X-BDM) in Israel in November 2009 was the result of the failure of one of the main rotor blades, according to the report of the Israeli air accident investigator.
Yitzhak Raz, the chief accidents investigator in the Israeli ministry of transport, says the failure was caused by a combination of erosion where the outer skin of the blade is connected to the blade's main spar, and separation of the skin from the "honeycomb" filling. Raz says: "This combination caused the sudden separation of most of the blade's skin from its spar." The loose blade then cut through the tail assembly of the R44, separating it from the fuselage.
The report suggests: "There is real probability that some of the similar accidents in recent years that involved that type of helicopter were caused by a similar failure process."
The R22 and R44 have suffered multiple accidents, especially in their early days, involving the main rotor damaging the tail boom, but this was often attributed to the intolerance of the design to rapid movement of the cyclical control, which tended to destabilise the rotor blades of these very lightweight types. Such events were often linked to the use of the types for training, or by entry-level owner/pilots who did not make allowances for this vulnerability.
All on board the helicopter were killed when it crashed into the Mediterranean."
Sources:
1. https://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3810009,00.html
2. https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1130366.html
3. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/175199
NTSB
5. https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/main-rotor-blade-failure-caused-r44-crash-346036/
6. http://helihub.com/2009/11/24/24-nov-09-4x-type-tba-netanya-israel-4f/
7. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1230532/British-tourist-killed-helicopter-crashes-Mediterranean-Sea.html
8. https://www.pprune.org/rotorheads/397287-israel-helicopter-crash.html
8. http://www.merchav-aviri.org/t62/tiki-index.php?page=Robinson+R44+Astro+-+4X-BDM (Hebrew text)
9. https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6115154
10. https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/6107858
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Nov-2009 06:14 | slowkid | Added |
| 24-Nov-2009 12:02 | slowkid | Updated |
| 24-Nov-2009 21:06 | slowkid | Updated |
| 28-Nov-2009 23:28 | TB | Updated |
| 05-Aug-2017 16:07 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 07-Nov-2018 20:57 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 07-Nov-2018 21:00 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location] |
| 07-Nov-2018 21:11 | Dr.John Smith | Updated [Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
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