Pilot Debrief

ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II near Ocean Shores, WA — 2013-04-12

Final reportWPR13LA188
Sign in to save
Date
2013-04-12
Location
Ocean Shores, WA, USA
Airport
5WA8
Aircraft
ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
Registration
N442FG
Category
Helicopter
Highest injury
Minor
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Approach

Probable cause

The pilots’ loss of helicopter control during the approach to landing.

NTSB narrative

During most of the flight, the right-seat pilot was the flying-pilot. As the flight approached the destination airport, the left-seat pilot assumed authority of the helicopter's flight controls and noted that the wind was calm. The pilot then maneuvered the helicopter from about 20 ft above ground level toward the intended touchdown zone. The pilot subsequently lost control of the helicopter; he stated that the flight controls felt "mushy" and unresponsive. The other pilot unsuccessfully attempted to help him regain control, and the helicopter subsequently descended near-vertically and landed hard. An examination of the hydraulic servos, reservoir, and pump and the flight control system revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Pilot should have reported control issues after previous incident in 2012.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 6 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents6

Related mishaps