Robinson R44 II accident near Coleta, IL
On June 25, 2003, a Robinson R44 II (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Coleta, IL. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 25, 2003
- Place
- Coleta, IL
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44 II · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.908°N, 89.803°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030701X00975
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 25, 2003, about 0830 central daylight time, a Robinson R44 II helicopter, N7512P, operated by Berg Aviation Inc., was destroyed when it impacted terrain near Coleta, Illinois. The business flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The flight originated from a private airfield near Mukwonago, Wisconsin, about 0730, and was en route to Kansas City, Missouri, when it impacted terrain. A witness saw a helicopter heading in a southwestly direction. She stated: As I watched the copter lost [altitude]. I thought perhaps it was getting below our light cloud cover. The copter continued to loose altitude. I heard no surge of power. The copter didn't seem to have maneuvering difficulty. It still continued to lose altitude. I noticed the propeller losing speed. The copter appeared to lose half of its [altitude] very quickly. Before the copter actually went down, the blades appeared to stop rotation and then I counted 2 blades. I didn't hear any noise on impact. Nor did I see smoke or flames. Another witness stated: ... At about 8:30 AM I was standing outside of home heard a plane having trouble coming from [the northeast] heading [southwest] motor seemed to be having trouble. Motor never stopped but took a nose dive in to field. Return to house [and] had [my] wife call 911. The Whiteside County Sheriff's Department report showed that a 911 call was received at 0832. The helicopter was found in a cornfield at 41
Probable cause
The pilot not maintaining main rotor RPM during cruise flight. The factor in the two passenger's fatal injuries was the pilot not following directives concerning the prohibition of carrying passengers while a student pilot. Other factors were the pilot's use of inappropriate medication/drugs, and the impairment of the pilot by amphetamine.
More accidents in IL
- Beech 1900C, Nov 19, 1996
- Beech C-45H, Sep 7, 1992
- Hawker Siddeley HS-748-2A, Oct 12, 1983
- Cessna 414A, Apr 7, 2015
- Cessna 172P, Jul 19, 1997
Browse: Illinois · 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.
