Baker Bobby J SAFARI accident near The Woodlands, TX
On January 16, 2015, a Baker Bobby J SAFARI (helicopter) was involved in an accident near The Woodlands, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- January 16, 2015
- Place
- The Woodlands, TX
- Aircraft
- Baker Bobby J SAFARI · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 30.200°N, 95.476°W
- NTSB ID
- 20150116X65836
Official records · CEN15LA104
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 16, 2015, about 1230 central standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Safari 400 helicopter, N416JB, impacted terrain following a loss of control in The Woodlands, Texas. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed. The helicopter was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, and no flight plan was filed. Witnesses reported that the helicopter was flying in a south-west direction over the property of Woodland Church. The helicopter appeared normal as it neared the church, then the helicopter "turned sideways," banked to the left, and descended to the ground. One witness stated that he heard a breaking sound and saw the "back rotor" hanging. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot, age 51, held a commercial pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and instrument ratings. He held a second-class airman medical certificate that was issued on April 23, 2014, with the limitation that he must wear corrective lenses. On the application for this medical certification, the pilot reported that he had accumulated 2,300 total flight hours of which 150 hours were in the previous 6 months. According to the pilot's logbook, he had accumulated a total of 48.5 hours total helicopter time at the time of the accident. The pilot began his helicopter training in a Schweizer 269C on September 28, 2014. He accumulated a total of 24.0 hours (including 2.5 hours of solo time) in the Schweizer bef
Probable cause
An in-flight separation of the helicopter’s horizontal stabilizer due to undetected fatigue cracking of the stabilizer spar, which resulted in a loss of control.
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Browse: Texas
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
