Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II accident near Indiana, PA
On May 1, 2011, a Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Indiana, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 1, 2011
- Place
- Indiana, PA
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 40.621°N, 79.149°W
- NTSB ID
- 20110501X14924
Official records · ERA11FA272
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On April 30, 2011, about 2030 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R-44 II helicopter, N445AB, registered to Penn Helicopters LLC, Freidens, Pennsylvania, was substantially damaged following a collision with buildings in an urban section of Indiana, Pennsylvania. The commercial pilot sustained serious injuries, 1 passenger sustained serious injuries, and 1 passenger sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was being operated under local contract as an aerial filming flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and a flight plan was not filed. The flight originated from the Indiana County Airport (Jimmy Stewart Field), Indiana, Pennsylvania, about 1930. The helicopter was being flown with a three person filming contingent onboard. The purpose of the filming was to capture real time police activities. In particular, the helicopter was following the movements of police vehicles on the streets of Indiana, near the campus of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Several witnesses reported seeing the helicopter operating at a low altitude above the city streets. They characterized the helicopter as flying slowly and making 90-degree and 180-degree turns while in a level attitude. One of the passengers reported the following: After takeoff, the pilot flew the helicopter around the city for two laps at an altitude of approximately 1,000 feet. After the laps around the city, the helicopter was flown to a lower altitude to facilitate filming of police cars. While following over top filming the cars, the
Probable cause
The pilot's operation of the helicopter at a low-forward airspeed out of ground effect, which resulted in the helicopter’s loss of translational lift and tail rotor authority and the pilot’s subsequent loss of helicopter control.
More accidents in PA
- Boeing B-737-300, Sep 8, 1994
- Boeing 757, Sep 11, 2001
- British Aerospace J-3101, May 21, 2000
- Bell UH-1N, May 29, 2008
- Beech A36, Jul 30, 1989
Browse: Pennsylvania · 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.
