Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA accident near Los Angeles, CA
On January 26, 2008, a Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Los Angeles, CA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 26, 2008
- Place
- Los Angeles, CA
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter R22 BETA · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 33.946°N, 118.280°W
- NTSB ID
- 20080201X00130
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 25, 2008, about 2257 Pacific standard time, a Robinson Helicopter Company (Robinson) R22, N705JJ, was destroyed after impacting the southbound lanes of the Harbor Freeway Interstate 110 (I-110) in Los Angeles, California. JJ Helicopters, Inc., was operating the helicopter under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot, the sole occupant, was killed. The personal night cross-country flight originated from El Monte, California, and was destined for the operator's base at Zamperini Field in Torrance, California. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed. A National Transportation Safety Board investigator reviewed voice recordings between the pilot and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) Air Traffic Control personnel. The tape recordings revealed that the pilot made initial contact at a self-reported position of the I-110 and Staples Center. He requested a southbound transition over the I-110 and a controller immediately cleared the helicopter through the LAX Class Bravo airspace. The pilot queried if there was an altitude restriction on his route, to which the controller replied "Affirmative, at or below 500 feet and at Century [Boulevard] frequency change approved." The pilot read back the altitude restriction. Radar data for this accident was obtained from Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control (SCT). Review of this data showed an aircraft with transponder code 1200 following the I-110 freeway southbound. The targets for the aircraft began at I-110 and I-1
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain an adequate obstacle clearance altitude from transmission wires during cruise flight. Contributing to the accident was the dark night conditions.
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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.
