Robinson Helicopter R44 accident near Santa Barbara, CA
On May 5, 2017, a Robinson Helicopter R44 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Santa Barbara, CA. 3 people were seriously injured. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- May 5, 2017
- Place
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter R44 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 0 fatal, 3 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 34.433°N, 119.751°W
- NTSB ID
- 20170505X02720
Official records · WPR17LA097
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 5, 2017, at 1402 Pacific daylight time, a Robinson R44 helicopter, N981RR, lost engine power and landed hard following an autorotation near Santa Barbara, California. The flight instructor and two passengers sustained serious injuries, and the helicopter was destroyed by post impact fire. The helicopter was registered to Spitzer Helicopter LLC, and operated by Santa Barbara Helicopter Tours, as a revenue sightseeing flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed. The local flight departed Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, Santa Barbara, California, about 1345. The flight was planned to be a standard 20 minute, "City Tour" for the two passengers, which included a roundtrip flight from the airport to the Santa Barbara Zoo area, about 10 miles east. The outbound flight was uneventful with the pilot requesting a special VFR (visual flight rules) clearance due to low cloud ceilings. On the return leg, the weather had not improved, and the pilot requested a special VFR clearance to land. The airport controllers directed the pilot to hold outside of the airport's airspace due to landing traffic, and the pilot circled the city for about 10 minutes until the landing request was granted. He then proceeded to follow the 101 Highway west towards the airport, and a brief time later he noticed that the engine began to lose partial power, coincident with the clutch actuator light illuminating. He pulled the clutch actuator circuit breaker while evaluating his
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power during cruise flight due to the failure of an engine piston rod for reasons that could not be determined due to extensive damage.
More accidents in CA
- Douglas MD-83, Feb 1, 2000
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, Aug 31, 1986
- British Aerospace BAE-146-200, Dec 8, 1987
- Beech C-99, Aug 24, 1984
- Sikorsky S-61N, Aug 6, 2008
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.
