History of Flight
On October 16, 2008, at 1341 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R22 Beta, registration N943MH, was substantially damaged when it struck terrain during cruise flight near Dryden, New York. The certificated private pilot was fatally injured. Instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Norwich Airport (OIC), Norwich, New York, about 1315 and was conducted under Part 91 as a personal flight.
An Alert Notice (ALNOT) for the missing helicopter was issued on October 17, 2008, after it failed to arrive at its intended destination. The ALNOT was initially canceled when the helicopter was mistakenly identified elsewhere, but was reissued on October 18, 2008. The helicopter was located following a search by the Civil Air Patrol on October 19, 2008. Radar data showed the helicopter on a westerly heading in a shallow descent about 6 miles south of Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport (ITH) before the radar target disappeared. The last target was at 1,900 feet mean sea level (msl), about 1 mile from the accident site, which was a north-south ridgeline at 1,600 feet msl elevation.
Track log data from the pilot's hand-held GPS receiver also indicated a shallow descent, with a final GPS altitude of 1,734 feet msl near the crash site. The last calculated groundspeed was 75 mph on a course of 299 degrees true.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single and multiengine land, multiengine sea, and instrument airplane. He also held a private pilot certificate with a rating for rotorcraft-helicopter, issued on October 14, 2008, two days before the accident. His most recent FAA third-class medical certificate was issued June 18, 2007, at which time he reported 1,080 total flight hours. A personal logbook found at the site documented only his helicopter experience: 58 total hours, all in the Robinson R22.
Aircraft Information
According to FAA and maintenance records, the helicopter was manufactured in 1992 and had accumulated 2,734.9 hours. Its most recent annual inspection was completed October 1, 2008, at 2,731.6 hours. The helicopter had an overhauled engine installed at the Robinson factory in 1998, with 734.9 hours since overhaul. The helicopter was not certified or equipped for IFR flight.
Meteorological Information
At 1356, weather reported at ITH, 6 nautical miles northwest of the accident site, included an overcast ceiling at 1,000 feet, visibility 10 miles, temperature 12°C, dewpoint 9°C, and an altimeter setting of 30.02 inches of mercury. No winds were reported. Field elevation at ITH was 1,099 feet.
According to a National Transportation Safety Board weather report, a cold front had passed through the area prior to the accident, with moderate northwesterly low-level flow behind it. Marginal VFR conditions were present, and higher terrain was occasionally obscured in clouds. An AIRMET SIERRA for IMC and mountain obscuration, and an AIRMET TANGO for moderate turbulence below 12,000 feet msl, were in effect.
A pilot who departed ITH before the accident reported a 500-foot overcast with ragged bases and light turbulence, and northwesterly winds of 25-30 knots with moderate turbulence at 4,000 feet msl.
Fuel records and a statement from the fuel vendor at Norwich Airport indicated the pilot purchased fuel at 1226 but delayed departure until 1315 due to weather.
Wreckage and Impact
The wreckage came to rest on a steep, wooded ridgeline at about 1,600 feet msl. All major components were accounted for. The wreckage path was oriented 260 degrees magnetic and was about 100 feet long. Initial impact was with a tree about 60 feet above the ground at 1,640 feet msl. The main wreckage rested on its right side, oriented about 020 degrees magnetic. Several branches and tree trunk sections displayed clean angular cuts.
The tailboom separated forward of the anti-collision light. The tail rotor assembly remained attached, with both blades present. Drive train and pitch control continuity was established. The engine and transmission remained mounted; both main rotor blades were attached. The red blade was bent and wrinkled; the blue blade spar was fractured about 2 feet outboard of the mast.
Control continuity was established from cyclic and collective controls to the swashplate. The blue pitch change link mount ears at the swashplate were fractured. Throttle control continuity was smooth with no binding. The engine was examined; spark plugs were intact and normal in color, magnetos produced spark, and the carburetor showed no anomalies. Crankshaft continuity was confirmed, and compression was present on all cylinders.
Medical and Pathological Information
The autopsy, performed by the Tompkins County Medical Examiner, indicated the pilot died from multiple blunt internal injuries. The autopsy report noted poorly differentiated metastatic carcinoma from a previously surgically removed esophageal primary. The extent to which the cancer may have affected the pilot's capacity was not clear, and areas of patchy ischemic fibrosis in the interventricular septum were noted, but their role was not clear.
The pilot's medical history included a partial esophagectomy for esophageal cancer several years prior. He had chemotherapy and recent scans detected recurrent metastases in the lung and liver. He was not on pain medication and had an oncologist appointment scheduled.
The pilot was diagnosed with esophageal cancer on or about June 1, 2007. He renewed his FAA second-class medical certificate on June 18, 2007, and underwent surgery on or about July 2, 2007. He did not disclose his illness on the FAA medical application and made no subsequent disclosures.
Toxicological testing of the pilot was negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, and ethanol.