Pilot Debrief

ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II near Cross Timbers, MO — 2013-05-24

Final reportCEN13FA295
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Date
2013-05-24
Location
Cross Timbers, MO, USA
Aircraft
ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
Registration
N569BC
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Fatal
Fatalities
2
Phase of flight
Maneuvering

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to see and avoid a power line during the low-altitude flight.

NTSB narrative

The helicopter pilot was conducting an aerial tour. After the helicopter did not return when it was expected, a search was conducted. The wreckage was located the following day in a sparsely populated and densely wooded area. Signs of impact damage were found on nearby trees. A postimpact fire had consumed the fuselage and most of the empennage. A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A power line was found wrapped around the main rotor drive shaft, and a section of the power line was found resting on the ground leading from the power line pole toward the main wreckage. Before impact, the power line was perpendicular to the helicopter flightpath and suspended about 65 feet above the ground. It is likely that the pilot did not see and avoid the power line and that the helicopter impacted the power line and, subsequently, trees and terrain.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Controlled flight into terrain
First missed decision gate
Pilot could have avoided flying near powerlines during the aerial tour.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • Photos
  • 14 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents14

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