Federal Aviation Administration Monthly Accident & Incident Data for the Month of December 2014
Preliminary Injuries: 2 Fatal
On December 2, 2014, about 1400 mountain standard time, a Robinson R44 II helicopter, N3234U, impacted a two-story building while maneuvering near Skypark Airport (BTF), Bountiful, Utah. The commercial pilot-rated mechanic and passenger were fatally injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to a private company and operated by a private operator. The local flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a post-maintenance flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed from BTF shortly before the accident.
Witnesses, who were in the area of the accident site, reportedly heard popping sounds then saw the main rotor and empennage separate from the helicopter as the helicopter flew overhead. Several of the witnesses then saw the helicopter tumble in flight and impact the top of a building. The main rotor blade and empennage impacted the ground a few hundred feet from the impacted building.
The owner of the helicopter reported that mechanics performed maintenance to the main rotor assembly and the purpose of the post- maintenance flight was to check the “track and balance” of the main rotor blades.
Examination of the accident site by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator- in-charge revealed that the helicopter impacted the top of a two-story building about 2,000 feet southwest of the approach end of runway 34 at BTF. A post-impact fire occurred that was concentrated at the main wreckage. The main wreckage had impact damage and was partially damaged by post-impact fire. The main rotor and empennage were found within
the wreckage debris field. The wreckage debris field was about 880 feet in length and about 400 feet in width and on a 277 degree magnetic heading. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.
Foreign Injuries: 2 Fatal.
On December 4, 2014, at 1045 coordinated universal time, a Schweizer 269C-1 helicopter, Portuguese registered CS-HFD, impacted terrain under unknown circumstances near Ponte de Sôr, Portugal, during an instructional flight. The instructor pilot and the student pilot were fatally injured. The helicopter was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no known flight plan was filed.
Factual
Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Registration: N174CD Injuries: 1 Uninjured.
The pilot attempted to land the helicopter on a landing cart. As the helicopter’s skids contacted the cart, the helicopter began to slide forward and to the left. The pilot aborted the landing and brought the helicopter back to a hover. During the maneuver, the tail boom stinger contacted the
landing cart and the helicopter nosed
over. The helicopter touched down and rolled on to its side, causing substantial damage to the tail boom, fuselage, and rotor system. The pilot reported a variable wind and a developing tailwind during the landing.
Preliminary Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Serious.
On December 29, 2014, at 1025 eastern standard time, a Robinson R22 Beta, N771MM, was substantially damaged when it impacted
terrain while maneuvering for landing at Palm Beach County Park Airport (LNA), Lake Worth, Florida. The certificated flight instructor (CFI) was fatally injured, and the student pilot sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local instructional flight, which departed about 0940. The flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.
In a statement to law enforcement, the student pilot recounted that he and the CFI were practicing emergency procedures following a simulated engine failure. The student pilot said that he entered an autorotation after the throttle was reduced to idle, and the helicopter was in an autorotational descent when the accident occurred. He could not completely recall the sequence of events leading up to the accident, but stated that as the helicopter descended through 100 feet, he remembered the CFI saying, “we’re going down.”
Another CFI, who was taxiing a helicopter with a student on the south side of LNA, reported hearing the accident helicopter transmit, “we’re going in the grass” over the airport’s common traffic advisory frequency. Shortly thereafter, an airplane in the airport traffic pattern reported that there was a helicopter down, and the CFI flew to the accident site to render assistance.
The helicopter came to rest on its left side in a grassy area about 700 feet northwest of the runway 15 threshold at LNA. The wreckage path was oriented approximately 140 degrees magnetic, and extended about 75 feet from the initial impact point to where the fuselage came to rest. The initial impact point was identified as a large metal stake, about 3 feet in height. The second point of impact was a small crater measuring about 4 feet long and 1 foot deep, located about 15 feet past the initial impact point. A portion of the forward skid crosstube
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