21 Jan 2012: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II — Jayhawk Air

21 Jan 2012: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II — Jayhawk Air

No fatalities • Beluga, AK, United States

Probable cause

Ground personnel's movement of cargo in windy conditions, which allowed a previously secured cargo sack to blow into the main rotor blades.

— NTSB Determination

Accident narrative

The pilot landed the helicopter at an off-airport site in windy conditions. While he was performing the engine cool-down portion of the checklist, a worker at the site picked up a storage container that was weighing down an empty cargo sack. When the weight was removed, the sack was picked up by the wind, and it contacted the helicopter's main rotor system, resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor blades.

Contributing factors

  • Contributed to outcome
  • Damaged/degraded
  • cause Ground crew

Conditions

Weather
VMC, wind 360/30kt, vis 50sm

Related events

Same aircraft

  • 17 Apr 2026 — ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II (CONCHO AVIATION LLC)
  • 27 Mar 2026 — ROBINSON HELICOPTER CO R66 (N/A)
  • 24 Mar 2026 — ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II (SULPHUR CREEK HELICOPTERS LLC)
  • 23 Mar 2026 — ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44 (Palm Beach Helicopters)
  • 19 Feb 2026 — ROBINSON HELICOPTER CO R66 (BRAZOS VORTEX LLC)

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