RobinsonR44

The aircraft was destroyed in a post-crash fire, and its commercial pilot and two passengers were fatally injured at 1315 Central time when the helicopter collided with trees and terrain after takeoff from a creek bed. Visual conditions prevailed. The helicopter was operating from a creek bed oriented approximately north/south. The creek bed was about 70 feet wide, with cliffs and tall trees on both banks. A four-strand set of power lines oriented approximately east/west crossed the creek about 125 feet above the water. Several witnesses stated that the power lines were discussed with the pilot, either one-on-one, or in groups. The pilot assured one witness “it was safe.”

At about 1900 Central time, the helicopter collided with trees and terrain. The helicopter was destroyed by impact and a post-crash fire; the Commercial pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The flight originated about five minutes earlier from the parking lot of a nearby hotel. Instrument conditions prevailed. Witnesses reported to the Jackson County Sheriffs Office that the helicopter landed in a parking lot of a hotel and the occupants inquired at the hotel about the price of a room. After being told about the price the occupants walked to a restaurant located at a truck stop across the street from the hotel. The occupants ate at the restaurant, departed there and went to the he…

At 1700 Central time, the helicopter collided with terrain following a loss of control while maneuvering and was substantially damaged. The Commercial pilot and two passengers were not injured. The pilot reported he was landing on a cart when the accident occurred. He reported the helicopter touched down, and he was attempting to raise the helicopter to center it on the cart, when a gust of wind caused the helicopter to roll to the right. The right skid contacted the ground and the helicopter came to rest on its right side. The pilot stated the cart is approximately six to eight inches high. He also stated that when the helicopter is centered on the cart there is approximately one foot of cl…

At 0324 Eastern time the helicopter was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain near Killingly, Conn. The Commercial pilot and a Private pilot were fatally injured. Night instrument conditions prevailed, but no flight plan had been filed for the Part 91 positioning flight from Scranton, Penn., to the Theodore Francis (T.F.) Green State Airport (PVD) in Providence, R.I. Preliminary downloaded data from a handheld GPS unit found at the crash site revealed that the helicopter had departed Scranton at 0047. It then proceeded east, along Interstate 84, to Middletown, N.Y., turned southeast, along Route 17, then south, along Interstate 87. The helicopter subsequently passed Nyack, N.Y., cross…

The helicopter collided with trees and was substantially damaged at 0530 Eastern time during a cross-country flight from Greer, S.C., that had begin at about 0300 that morning. Instrument conditions prevailed but no flight plan had been filed. The flight instructor and two passengers were fatally injured. A witness reported hearing a helicopter over a residential area and, shortly afterward, heard an explosion. The helicopter was found engulfed in flames. Efforts by the witnesses to extinguish the flames were unsuccessful. No radio communication was received from the pilot prior to the accident….

At 14:37 PST, a Robinson R44 lost power during a practice autorotation at the Palo Alto Airport. The two occupants were uninjured. The pilot said he was performing an autorotation and that the engine had been at idle for a long period of time. He said he did not think he was going to make the runway and added power, but the engine didnt come on. The pilot said he did not use carburetor heat during the autorotation. The temperature was 64 F and the dewpoint was 52, in the range for serious icing at glide power….