No fatalities

19 Feb 2017: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II — Helicopter Tours of Texas — Spofford, TX

Spofford, TX, United States

On 19 Feb 2017, a ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II operated by Helicopter Tours of Texas was involved in an aviation accident near Spofford, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's decision to hover-taxi out of the hangar and his subsequent failure to maintain clearance from the hangar. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 13 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 1778583330Data APIEditorial standards

A skid-equipped helicopter struck a hangar door while hover-taxiing out, causing the aircraft to spin and roll onto its side. The pilot had taxied into the hangar the previous night due to approaching convective activity.

Accident Overview

A pilot of a skid-equipped helicopter reported that the evening before the accident, he hover-taxied the helicopter into a hangar because convective activity was approaching the airport and he did not have ground-handling equipment (wheels) to move the helicopter. The following morning, the pilot attempted to hover-taxi the helicopter out of the hangar for a positioning flight.

Sequence of Events

As the helicopter was approximately three-quarters of the way out of the hangar, the main rotor blade struck the top of the hangar door. The impact caused the helicopter to spin and subsequently roll over onto its left side.

Damage

The main rotor and tail boom sustained substantial damage.

Pilot Statement

The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Contributing factors

Causes

Pilot

Other contributing factors

Effect on equipmentDecision related to condition