Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II accident near Macedonia, IA
On September 6, 2014, a Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Macedonia, IA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 6, 2014
- Place
- Macedonia, IA
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 41.182°N, 95.536°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140908X10448
Official records · CEN14LA487
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 6, 2014, at 1207 central daylight time, a Robinson R44 II helicopter, N699TQ, impacted a suspended static line near Macedonia, Iowa. The pilot was fatally injured and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to Mills County Choppers, Inc. and operated by Johnson Helicopter Services under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 as an aerial application flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed. The local flight originated at an unknown time. A witness, who was about ½ mile from the accident site, reported he heard the helicopter prior to seeing it. He added that the helicopter was flying north, continued into the suspended lines, pitched up and then descended toward the ground. He observed fuel leaking from the helicopter at the accident site. Another witness, who was about ¼ mile away, stated that the helicopter was flying north at a height above the larger transmission lines and it did not appear that the pilot made any evasive action to avoid the lines. From his location he could not see the smaller static line until the helicopter contacted it. He then observed the static line stretch to the north with the helicopter until it broke and the helicopter impacted the ground. There were no sparks or fire observed during the impact. He did not hear any unusual sounds from the helicopter's engine until the wire strike, and then it sounded like a "lawn mower going over a rock." Power line maintenance employees stated that at the time of the acc
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadequate visual lookout, which resulted in a collision with a static line.
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Browse: Iowa · 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.
