Robinson R-44 accident near Killingly, CT
On June 18, 2004, a Robinson R-44 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Killingly, CT. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 18, 2004
- Place
- Killingly, CT
- Aircraft
- Robinson R-44 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.783°N, 71.858°W
- NTSB ID
- 20040630X00889
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On June 18, 2004, at 0324 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R-44 helicopter, N70144, operated by Verticare, Incorporated, of Salinas, California, was destroyed when it impacted trees and terrain near Killingly, Connecticut. The certificated commercial pilot and the certificated private pilot were fatally injured. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the flight between Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP), Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Theodore Francis (T.F.) Green State Airport (PVD), Providence, Rhode Island. The positioning flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the president of Verticare, he and a cameraman had arrived in Providence on a commercial flight from California on June 17, 2004, for aerial video work in Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Ohio. The accident helicopter, a "News Copter Version," left Salinas on June 14, 2004, and was expected to arrive at T.F. Green early on June 18, 2004. The pilots were scheduled to take a commercial flight back to California later that same day. The president also reported that he had spoken with the pilot in command while they were on the ground in Scranton, and he reported that, "they were fully fueled...and evaluated weather conditions." The president was not aware by what means the pilots had evaluated the weather. The president expected the helicopter to arrive at T.F. Green Airport about 0230, and both he and the cameraman went to meet it. During their wait, they spoke with other operators there who reported the weather condit
Probable cause
The pilot in command's intentional flight into instrument meteorological flight conditions, and his failure to maintain obstacle clearance which resulted in a controlled descent into trees. Factors included the pilot's inadequate weather evaluation, low cloud ceilings, fog, and dark night lighting conditions.
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Browse: Connecticut · 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.
