History of Flight
On March 22, 2015, at approximately 1430 eastern daylight time, a Robinson R44 II helicopter, registration N30242, impacted a two-story residence while maneuvering near Orlando, Florida. The private pilot and two passengers sustained fatal injuries, and the helicopter was destroyed. The aircraft was registered to a private individual and operated by HQ Aviation. The flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 91, with visual meteorological conditions and no flight plan. The flight departed from Executive Airport (ORL) in Orlando shortly before the accident.
Radio communications with ORL air traffic control showed the pilot requested takeoff clearance for a downtown departure from the operator's helipad. About five minutes later, the pilot stated he wanted to return to the operator's ramp. No further transmissions were made.
Multiple witnesses reported hearing a loud helicopter flying low. They observed the helicopter descending into a tree, with main rotor blades breaking apart as it passed through trees. The helicopter then struck a power line transformer before colliding with the residence and erupting in flames. Witnesses called authorities and attempted to extinguish the fire.
Personnel Information
The 48-year-old pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rotorcraft-helicopter rating. His logbook showed 124 total flight hours, with 13 hours in the preceding six months. He held a third-class medical certificate dated September 6, 2013, with no limitations. On August 9, 2014, he completed the Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) No. 73 training required for the Robinson R-44.
Aircraft Information
The helicopter, a 2007 Robinson R44 II, was powered by a Continental IO-540-AE1A5 engine rated at 235 horsepower. The Hobbs meter was destroyed; the journey log recorded the last known airframe time as 1,267.5 hours on the accident day. The last annual inspection occurred on October 31, 2014, at 1,092.1 hours. The last 100-hour inspection, on December 28, 2014, at 1,186.1 hours, noted "rotated TR pitch links" as a discrepancy.
No recent maintenance entries were in the helicopter's maintenance logbook, but the journey log recorded several maintenance flights for main rotor blade track and balance. These flights occurred on March 1, 6, 11, and 15, 2015, with the last signed off by the operator as completed.
In a telephone interview, the mechanic who performed the most recent track and balance stated he followed the R44 Maintenance Manual sections 10.230, 10.240, and 6.240 but did not complete the work; the chief mechanic later finished it. The chief mechanic said he was unclear where the previous mechanic had stopped. He also mentioned replacing the belt tensioning actuator gear motor on March 10, 2015, but "forgot" to record it in the logbooks.
Meteorological Information
Weather recorded at ORL at 1453 included wind from 240° at 10 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, few clouds at 4,900 feet, temperature 30°C, dew point 18°C, and altimeter 29.94 inches of mercury.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The helicopter came to rest on the top floor of a two-story residence about 3 miles northwest of ORL, oriented on a 360° magnetic heading. The debris field spanned about 50 yards. All flight control surfaces were located. A post-impact fire concentrated in the second story consumed most of the wreckage. The main rotor mast, head, and gearbox were separated from the main wreckage.
Examination of the cockpit and cabin showed the instrument console destroyed by impact and fire. Collective and anti-torque pedals were found. The mixture control was in the full rich position and impact-damaged. Flight controls were fire- and impact-damaged. At the lower swashplate, the left forward attachment ear lacked rod end hardware; the rod end was present at the top of the left push-pull tube.
The swashplate and push-pull tube were sent to the NTSB Materials Laboratory. The lower swashplate attachment lug bolt holes showed outward deformation on the rod-end side of the front left lug. No other lugs had notable deformation.
Hydraulic control servos were intact; two forward servos had bent shafts and could not move, while the aft servo piston moved with force. The tail rotor pitch change slider slid freely.
Drive belts were burned away with residue in sheave grooves. The belt tension actuator was fractured between anti-rotation scissors. Upper and lower actuator bearings were fire-damaged; the lower did not rotate, the upper rotated with drag. The sprag clutch was fire-damaged and did not rotate. The forward flex coupling, main rotor gearbox input arm, and main rotor gearbox were fractured. The gearbox was fire-damaged and did not rotate. The mast tube was fractured, and the main rotor shaft was bent and fractured. Droop stops and tusk were intact. Scoring was present on the main rotor hub inboard of pitch change housings.
Both main rotor blades were accounted for. One blade was intact but impact-damaged, bent downward about 33 inches from the coning bolt, with a fractured spar and scoring on the lower surface. The opposite blade was fractured and scored, bent upward from the coning bolt and downward further outboard, with spar fractures at 70 and 104 inches from the coning bolt. A section of skin and honeycomb separated. Examination at the Materials Lab showed the blade had an aft bend, buckling, and a forward bend at the inboard end. The fracture at the inboard end was located at a circular hole in the spar and exhibited 45° inclined surfaces consistent with overstress; no fatigue was observed.
The intermediate flex coupling was intact but impact-damaged. The tail rotor driveshaft separated forward of the damper. The damper bearing was fire- and impact-damaged and did not rotate. The friction linkage was intact but separated, with fire-damaged pivots.
The tail boom separated from the fuselage with fire damage. The tail rotor control tube fractured at the fuselage and remained attached to the tail rotor gearbox. Vertical fin and horizontal stabilizer were impact-damaged but attached. Tail rotor blades were undamaged and intact. The aft flex coupling was intact. The tail rotor gearbox was intact, free to rotate, and contained blue oil.
The fuel system was fire- and impact-damaged. The main fuel tank was not recovered; the auxiliary tank was distorted with no fuel cap. Both tanks were ruptured. The main fuel tank flexible outlet line was breached but intact at the fuel valve, which was partially closed. The gascolator was intact with no debris in the fuel screen. Remaining fuel lines were fire-damaged but fittings remained.
The engine rotated via cooling fan with continuity to rear gears and valve train. Compression and suction were observed on all four cylinders. The bottom of the sump was fire-damaged; the fuel servo was not recovered. The flow divider was intact; fuel injector nozzles were unobstructed. The engine-driven fuel pump was impact-damaged. Left magneto sparked when rotated; right magneto was fire-damaged and did not rotate. Top spark plugs had undamaged electrodes; bottom spark plugs were oil-soaked but undamaged. No anomalies precluding normal operation were found.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy was performed by the State of Florida District Nine Medical Examiner. The FAA's Civil Aerospace Medical Institute conducted forensic toxicology on pilot specimens, with negative results for drugs and alcohol.