History of Flight
On April 6, 2014, at approximately 1215 mountain daylight time, a Robinson R22 Beta II helicopter, registration N13HG, struck terrain near Green River, Utah. The pilot was operating under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The commercial pilot and one passenger both received fatal injuries. The helicopter incurred substantial damage. The flight, which began around 1115 from private property near Green River, was intended for searching for shed elk antlers. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed.
When the helicopter was reported overdue at about 1800, the Utah Highway Patrol began a search. Using cell tower signals and an emergency locator transmitter, the wreckage was located around 1300 the following day.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The pilot, aged 38, held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine land and helicopter, as well as a certified flight instructor certificate for rotorcraft-helicopter. He had a second-class medical certificate issued on March 24, 2014, with no limitations. His total flight time was 7,800 hours, with 200 hours logged in the previous six months.
The helicopter was a Robinson R22 Beta II, serial number 2603. Its total airframe time at the last 100-hour inspection on April 26, 2013, was 2,828.6 hours. The hour meter read 2,889.6 hours at the wreckage examination. The engine was a Lycoming O-360-J2A with a total time of 2,889.6 hours and 744.7 hours since major overhaul.
Wreckage Examination
The helicopter came to rest on its right side on the south slope of an east-west gully with a dry creek bed. The first identified point of contact was a ground scar on a 255-degree magnetic heading. The vertical and horizontal stabilizer assembly separated and was found in a tree at the eastern end of the scar. Both tail rotor blades separated a few inches from the hub; one blade was in the gully, the other in the tree. The main rotor blades were oriented north-south; the south blade had a puncture midspan, and the north blade was bent near the hub. The aft skid crosstube was in the dry creek. The engine showed no evidence of catastrophic failure; its exhaust had ductile bending.
Fuel System Examination
The carburetor bowl separated and was found in the forward portion of the ground scar. Liquid from the gascolator was colorless but murky; a water-detecting paste indicated water. The pilot's friends reported he kept a barrel of aviation fuel and used 5-gallon cans to refuel. Samples from the barrel appeared normal, but two of four cans with liquid contained dark murky fluid that indicated water when tested.
Medical and Pathological Information
A postmortem examination listed the cause of death as multiple blunt force injuries. Toxicological tests detected ibuprophen in urine but no carbon monoxide or volatiles; cyanide testing was not performed.
Tests and Research
The helicopter was equipped with a Garmin GPSMap 396 receiver. Data extracted showed a flight on April 6 starting at 1140:05, meandering in the mountainous area where the pilot and passenger were searching for antlers, and ending at 1211:59, about 1.6 nautical miles from the accident site.
A follow-up examination in a hangar on May 13, 2014, revealed no preimpact anomalies with the airframe or engine other than water in the fuel system.