Robinson R44 Raven II accident near Desert Center, CA
On May 1, 2006, a Robinson R44 Raven II (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Desert Center, CA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 1, 2006
- Place
- Desert Center, CA
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44 Raven II · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.634°N, 115.087°W
- NTSB ID
- 20060510X00540
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 1, 2006, about 1430 Pacific daylight time, a Robinson R44 Raven II, Canadian registration C-FICL, experienced an in-flight breakup and impacted desert terrain near Desert Center, California. Zimmer Air Service, Inc., was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The Canadian certificated commercial pilot and the non-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was destroyed. The cross-country delivery flight departed Zamperini Field Airport (TOA), Torrance, California, at 1305, with a planned refueling stop at Blythe Airport (BLH), Blythe, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The approximate global positioning system (GPS) coordinates of the primary wreckage were 33 degrees 38.016 minutes north latitude and 115 degrees 05.224 minutes west longitude. The pilot had taken delivery of the new helicopter from the Robinson Helicopter Company factory in Torrance on the day of the accident. The pilot and passenger, who were employed by Zimmer Air Service, Inc., departed from TOA with an intended final destination of Blenheim, Ontario, Canada. Riverside County Sheriff's Department personnel responded to the accident site and interviewed two ground witnesses. The witnesses related that they saw the helicopter just before it impacted the ground. They reported that the tail boom had separated from the fuselage; they did not see the separation sequence. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The operator reported that the pilot held a Canadian issued commercial pilot certificate with ratings
Probable cause
a loss of control and the divergence of the main rotor blade system from its normal rotational path for undetermined reasons.
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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.
