Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II accident near Audubon, IA
On March 31, 2020, a Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Audubon, IA. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 31, 2020
- Place
- Audubon, IA
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 41.660°N, 94.764°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200401X81511
Official records · CEN20LA136
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn March 31, 2020, about 1626 central daylight time, a Robinson R44 helicopter, N107EH, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Audubon, Iowa. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 aerial observation flight. According to the operator, the purpose of the flight was to conduct a raptor survey of a 442 square-mile area in western Iowa under contract with another company whose biologist was the passenger on the helicopter at the time of the accident. The helicopter was flying a north-south grid pattern when two witnesses observed the helicopter flying in a southerly direction at low altitude. One witness observed the helicopter strike the bottom two wires of a power line before it impacted terrain and burst into flames. The second witness lost sight of the helicopter just before it impacted the wires but heard the impact and observed the helicopter descend with wires intertwined in the main rotor. Both witnesses thought the helicopter was in a turn to the southwest, toward the sun, prior to the hitting the wires. One witness described the helicopter in a gentle turn, not in a way that looked like the pilot was aware of the high lines. Automatic dependent surveillance- broadcast (ADS-B) data showed that during the final moments of the accident flight, the helicopter was travelling south over Robin Avenue, approaching 240th Street, at an ADS-B-reported geometric altitude of 1,475 ft, with a ground speed of about 85 kts. The final recorded data point was about 160
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to recognize and avoid the power line during the low-altitude flight. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s fatigue, which affected the pilot’s ability to see and avoid the power line.
More accidents in IA
- Rockwell 500-S, Nov 25, 1985
- Piper PA28, Nov 9, 2018
- Cessna 340A, Feb 17, 2007
- Piper PA-32-260, Dec 18, 2003
- Piper PA-28-140, Mar 6, 1993
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.
