Robinson R44 II accident near Centerville, LA
On January 19, 2012, a Robinson R44 II (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Centerville, LA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 19, 2012
- Place
- Centerville, LA
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44 II · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.527°N, 91.396°W
- NTSB ID
- 20120119X92431
Official records · CEN12FA139
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On January 19, 2012, at 0901 central standard time, a Robinson R44 II, N369TL, collided with trees while maneuvering at low altitude and impacted the Belle Isle salt dome, about 12 miles south of Centerville, Louisiana. There was a fire after impact. The pilot and the pilot-rated passenger were fatally injured. The helicopter was substantially damaged. The helicopter was registered to and operated by CENAC Marine Services, LLC, Houma, Louisiana, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the accident, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight originated from Houma (KHUM), Louisiana, at 0827. Several witnesses told St. Mary’s Parish sheriff’s deputies that they saw the helicopter circling at a low altitude. They said the left seat pilot waved at them. None of the witnesses saw the impact, but heard the impact and saw smoke. They responded to the site and used portable fire extinguishers to extinguish the fire. PERSONNEL (CREW) INFORMATION According to the helicopter owner/operator the pilot-in-command, age 40, was seated in the left seat. He held an airline transport pilot certificate with airplane multiengine land rating, commercial pilot privileges with airplane single-engine land and rotorcraft-helicopter ratings, and a flight instructor certificate with airplane single/multiengine and instrument ratings. He was type rated in the Beech 300/350 King Air, Hawker Beechjet 400, Cessna 500 Citation, and the Mitsubishi MU-300 Diamond. He he
Probable cause
The pilot allowed the helicopter to settle with power while maneuvering at low altitude.
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Browse: Louisiana · 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.
