History of Flight
On June 3, 2017, about 1437 central daylight time, a Robinson R44 II helicopter, N7091F, impacted terrain while maneuvering near Dimmitt, Texas. The private pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage. The helicopter was registered to Don Oppliger Trucking, Inc, Clovis, New Mexico, and privately operated under 14 CFR Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local business flight, which departed a private helipad near Farwell, Texas, about 1302.
According to the pilot's business manager, the pilot departed on a routine flight to check and observe crop fields, business facilities, and other business-related assets. When the pilot did not return, a search was initiated. The wreckage was located in a field about 0800 the following morning. There were no witnesses to the accident.
Flight data downloaded from a Garmin GPSmap 496 handheld GPS unit at the accident site included the accident flight. Data extracted from the unit included 13 flight track logs from April 22, 2017, to June 3, 2017. The accident flight was recorded starting at 1302:31 and ending at 1437:28, with 730 discrete points. The track was consistent with the pilot overflying fields, facilities, and other business assets. The end of the data showed the helicopter making a series of turns at low altitude above the field where the wreckage was located.
Personnel Information
The pilot held an FAA private pilot certificate with airplane single and multi-engine land and instrument airplane ratings. The pilot did not hold a rotorcraft rating; however, he had flown helicopters for several years for business purposes. Based on the 177 total hours on the accident helicopter, the pilot's estimated rotorcraft flight experience was at least 177 hours. The pilot reported a total flight experience of 4,225 hours on his 2016 FAA medical certificate application.
According to FAA medical files, the 68-year-old pilot reported a 4-vessel coronary artery bypass graft in 2008, followed by a stent in his right coronary artery in 2009. The FAA granted special issuance medical certificates beginning in 2010. At his last aviation medical examination on March 29, 2017, he reported using aspirin and clopidogrel as blood thinners, losartan for blood pressure control, and ezetimibe/simvastatin for cholesterol. None were considered impairing. A stress echocardiogram on January 6, 2017, showed the pilot reached 16 mets, more than 150% of target heart rate, with no ischemic findings. The aviation medical examiner found no abnormalities, and the pilot received a special issuance third-class medical certificate limited by corrective lenses and marked not valid after March 31, 2018.
Aircraft Information
The accident helicopter, serial number 13910, was a Robinson R44 II, four-place, two-bladed, single main rotor, single-engine helicopter with skid-type landing gear. The primary structure was welded steel tubing and riveted aluminum. The tailboom was a semi-monocoque aluminum skin. Each seat had a combined seat belt and inertia reel shoulder strap. The helicopter was equipped with a Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 engine, serial number L-36203-48E, rated at 260 horsepower; however, the type certificate specified a 5-minute takeoff rating of 245 hp and a maximum continuous rating of 205 hp. The helicopter was registered to the owner on December 1, 2015.
Wreckage and Impact Information
Examination revealed the helicopter came to rest on its right side in a wheat field (wheat about 3 inches tall) owned by the pilot's business. Three ground scars consistent with main rotor blade strikes were adjacent to the main wreckage. Fragmented plexiglass was scattered between these scars and the wreckage. Separated main rotor blade sections were within a 75-ft diameter; blade roots remained attached to the rotor hub. No evidence of contact with structures or power lines was observed.
The lower forward fuselage was crushed aft and upward. The tailboom was intact; the horizontal stabilizer was bent. No damage to the tail skid. Forward landing gear skid tubes were fractured; the left forward skid tube separated and was in the debris field. The left forward door separated; the right forward door and rear doors were damaged and partially fragmented. Forward seat belts and shoulder harnesses were unlatched. The helicopter was not equipped with an emergency locator transmitter.
Flight control continuity was established from cockpit controls to the swashplate and tail rotor system. Drivetrain continuity was established from engine to main transmission and tail rotor. The engine remained attached to the mount. Thumb compression was noted on all cylinders; mechanical continuity throughout the engine was established. Magnetos and ignition leads produced spark when the crankshaft was rotated.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed by South Plains Forensic Pathology, P.A., Lubbock, Texas, determined the cause of death as blood loss due to visceral injuries from blunt force injuries, and the manner of death was an accident.
The autopsy also described significant heart disease. The heart weighed 610 gm; both ventricles were dilated; the left ventricle had severe hypertrophy. There was very severe coronary artery disease in native arteries, but grafts were patent. A stent was identified but not further described. Sections of the myocardium revealed scarring from old heart attacks in the left ventricle. Microscopy showed myocyte hypertrophy with interstitial and perivascular fibrosis, and areas where adipose and fibrotic tissue replaced normal cells.
Toxicology testing by the FAA's Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory identified no ethanol in the vitreous. Salicylate (aspirin metabolite) was found in urine; losartan in cavity blood and liver; clopidogrel in liver tissue. None were considered impairing.