Pilot Debrief

Robinson R44 II near Kenosha, WI — 2008-09-21

Final reportCHI08FA293
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Date
2008-09-21
Location
Kenosha, WI, USA
Airport
ENW
Aircraft
Robinson R44 II
Registration
N999ZD
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2

Probable cause

The pilots failure to maintain clearance from terrain resulting in an in-flight collision with a house. Contributing to the accident was the night instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) and the pilot's lack of experience of flying in IMC.

NTSB narrative

The non-instrument-rated pilot departed from a casino heliport on a night cross country flight with a passenger. The helicopter impacted an occupied home and terrain about 1.5 miles south of the destination airport. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area of the accident. A witness said the helicopter sounded "really low" and the "engine sounded like it was at low RPMs." An on-scene investigation revealed the filament in the rotor's low rpm light bulb was stretched. No pre-impact helicopter or engine anomalies were detected. The pilot's logbook showed he had accumulated 329 hours of total flight time. The pilot had recorded 37.25 hours of night flight time.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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