Robinson R22 accident near Littlerock, CA
On February 26, 1998, a Robinson R22 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Littlerock, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 26, 1998
- Place
- Littlerock, CA
- Aircraft
- Robinson R22 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.480°N, 117.980°W
- NTSB ID
- 20001211X09565
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 26, 1998, at 1318 hours Pacific standard time, a Robinson R22, N8457J, impacted terrain in a ravine near Littlerock, California. The aircraft was destroyed and the commercial pilot/owner, the sole occupant, suffered fatal injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The aircraft was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight, and originated from a private airport at Adelanto, California, at 1300. The right-hand cockpit door of the helicopter and pieces of the windshield Plexiglas were found in a debris field approximately 1/4 mile east of the main wreckage. Witnesses reported that winds at the time of the accident were westerly at 20 to 25 knots. One witness reported he heard a loud "schwapp-like" noise followed shortly by engine silence, and then saw the helicopter disappear from view in a near vertical descent. The pilot of a sheriff's department helicopter located the wreckage, landed nearby, and was the first person on scene. He reported that the surface winds were from the west at 20 -25 knots and that it was "bumpy and turbulent" in the area when he arrived. He also said that there was the smell of fuel in proximity of the fuel tank and he noted that the cap from the fuel tank had been ejected and was laying on the ground opposite the tank, about 15 feet upslope. The citizen who had called in the report of the accident arrived at the scene and said he had seen the aircraft roll to the left and fall. A friend of the pilot, who is a student helicopter pilot, rep
Probable cause
The pilot's improper use of the rotorcraft cyclic control in response to encountering terrain induced turbulence. A factor in the accident was the pilot's failure to obtain a preflight weather briefing which contained precautionary notices for turbulence.
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Browse: California · 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.
