Pilot Debrief

Robinson R44 II near Bullhead City, AZ — 2008-02-03

Final reportLAX08CA057
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Date
2008-02-03
Location
Bullhead City, AZ, USA
Airport
IFP
Aircraft
Robinson R44 II
Registration
N44NV
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0

Probable cause

The pilot's misjudged landing flare, inadequate bounced landing recovery, and failure to maintain directional control during a bounced landing that resulted in the tail rotor blades colliding with a hangar. Contributing to the accident was the burned out landing lights.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that during the night flight, and prior to landing, he discovered that both landing lights were burned out. During the landing, the nose of the right skid contacted the ground and the helicopter bounced back into the air and rotated to the right resulting in the tail rotor striking a hangar. The helicopter rotated about 360 degrees before impacting the ground. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor gearbox attachment point. The pilot reported no other abnormalities with the helicopter prior to the accident.

NTSB coding

View NTSB final report

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