Robinson R22 BETA accident near Halsey, OR
On October 19, 1996, a Robinson R22 BETA (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Halsey, OR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- October 19, 1996
- Place
- Halsey, OR
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 BETA · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 44.380°N, 123.109°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001208X06970
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On October 19, 1996, approximately 0926 Pacific daylight time, a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter, N512HH, operated by Avia Flight Services Inc. of Corvallis, Oregon, crashed in a grass seed field approximately 1 mile southwest of Halsey, Oregon. The helicopter was destroyed and the recently certificated private pilot, a 21-year-old Brazilian national who was the helicopter's sole occupant, was killed. The 14 CFR 91 flight had departed Corvallis with an unknown destination. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan had been filed. The pilot was a student in Avia's commercial helicopter pilot training program. According to the chief executive officer (CEO) of Avia Flight Services, the accident flight was an unscheduled solo flight and not a training syllabus ride. Avia's CEO stated that the pilot had not been scheduled to fly until noon that day, when a dual instructional flight with an instructor was scheduled. He stated that the accident pilot came in to the office about 0800, determined that a helicopter was available, and signed the helicopter out to fly solo; the CEO reported that the pilot stated he would be out from 0800 to 1000 but did not provide an itinerary or get an instructor to dispatch the flight. Avia's CEO stated that this solo flight was unexpected, in light of intentions previously stated by the pilot to Avia to fly only dual flights until completion of the training program due to financial concerns. Avia's CEO reported that the pilot refueled the accident aircraft with 10 gallons of 100LL aviation gasoline before departur
Probable cause
The pilot-in-command's failure to maintain main rotor RPM, resulting in loss of control of the helicopter and collision with terrain. Factors included the pilot's lack of experience in helicopters, and interpersonal relationship problems between the pilot and his girlfriend.
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Browse: Oregon · Robinson aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
