History of Flight
The accident occurred on November 24, 2011, at approximately 1830 central standard time near Hackensack, Minnesota. The helicopter, a Robinson R44 II (registration N821JV), departed Alexandria, Minnesota, at an unknown time. The pilot and his passenger were returning from a Thanksgiving celebration. The pilot intended to land near his residence on a lake, drop off his passenger, and then fly to his hangar. Before landing, the pilot maneuvered the helicopter into a low hover over the lake about 200 yards from shore. While hovering, the passenger observed a yellow/orange flash and water splashing on the windscreen. The helicopter then yawed to the right and entered the water. The pilot and passenger exited the helicopter; the passenger swam to shore. The pilot was found the following day by divers approximately 75 feet in front of the helicopter.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with airplane single-engine land and rotorcraft helicopter ratings. He had a current FAA third-class medical certificate issued in February 2010. According to his logbook, he had accumulated 1,659 helicopter flight hours.
Aircraft Information
The helicopter was a four-seat, single main rotor, single-engine aircraft (serial number 10155) manufactured in 2003. It was powered by a 260-horsepower Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 engine. The most recent annual inspection was completed June 24, 2011, at a total time of 1,142.9 hours. The hour-meter showed 1,210.5 hours at the time of the accident.
Meteorological Information
At 1917, the Longville Municipal Airport automated weather observing system reported wind from 150 degrees at 4 knots, clear sky, visibility 10 miles, temperature -1°C, dew point -2°C, and an altimeter setting of 29.68 inHg. Moon illumination was 0 percent. The passenger reported possibly two lights illuminated at their residence.
Wreckage and Impact
The helicopter was recovered from the lake on November 25 and placed in a hangar. Examination revealed minimal structural damage; it came to rest upright in 27 feet of water. Both doors were open, instrument back lighting was illuminated, and the landing light was off. The fuselage and landing gear skids sustained minor damage during recovery. Both main rotor blades were bent with compression wrinkles. No evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction was found. Flight control continuity was established. The "Low RPM" caution light bulb showed minimal filament stretch. The cockpit clock stopped at approximately 1830. Examination of the drive system showed continuity, but the tail rotor drive shaft was separated aft of the damper bearing with rotational fracture signatures. Rotational scoring was noted on the upper sheave, clutch alignment strut, and clutch actuator. The engine contained water; attempts to start it were initially unsuccessful. The governor circuit breaker popped when power was applied.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy determined the pilot's cause of death as drowning. No personal flotation devices were on board, nor were they required. Toxicological tests were negative for all screened substances.
Test and Research
On February 14, 2012, the engine was examined; after replacing the fuel pump with a slave pump, it started and ran for approximately 5 minutes. On May 15, 2012, the DC to DC converter was examined and found inoperable due to a short-circuit failure of the Q1 transistor. After replacing transistors, it operated as designed.