History of Flight
On May 17, 2019, about 1034 mountain daylight time, a Robinson R44 helicopter, registration N744TW, sustained substantial damage in an accident near Alpine, Utah. The pilot and passenger sustained fatal injuries. The flight was conducted as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
According to the pilot's mother, the helicopter was kept at the pilot's home in Myton, Utah. The pilot and his wife planned to fly to South Valley Regional Airport (U42) in West Jordan, Utah, to pick up a second passenger before continuing to Phoenix, Arizona. She observed the helicopter depart at 0930 and noted light rain at that time. At 1022, she received a text from the passenger indicating they were "17 minutes out." At 1025, a text stated "the flight was smooth." At 1027, a short video showed the helicopter above a thick cloud layer with no discernable horizon; some cloud tops appeared above the helicopter.
Radar data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed the helicopter first appeared at 0956 at 10,400 ft mean sea level (msl), heading 309°, about 44 miles west of the pilot's residence. The helicopter flew generally west-northwest, with airspeed initially varying from 37 to 88 knots ground speed, then stabilizing around 85 knots. It climbed to 13,000 ft msl at 1007 and remained between 12,700 and 13,000 ft until about 1030, when it descended below 12,500 ft. At 1031, the helicopter began a right descending turn, completing about 2.5 full 360° turns until radar contact was lost at 1033 at 9,200 ft msl and 108 knots, about 1,650 ft from the accident site.
Personnel Information
The pilot's logbook recorded about 145.1 total flight hours: approximately 30.5 hours in the Robinson R44 and 113.4 hours in the Robinson R22. No entries for instrument flight training were found. The pilot's flight instructor stated he last provided instruction about one year prior. The instructor followed a private pilot syllabus that did not include instrument training. They conducted some instrument flight rules (IFR) training, including less than 5 hours of "hood work" at the pilot's request. They discussed VFR cloud clearance requirements and may have practiced unusual attitude recoveries.
Aircraft Information
The Robinson R44 Raven II, serial number 10702, manufactured in 2005, was approved for VFR day and night operations. It was not equipped with a supplemental oxygen system, and no supplemental oxygen was found at the accident site. The last annual inspection was completed on January 13, 2019, with an entry stating "Inspected avionics for security and basic electrical operation." No instrument discrepancies were recorded.
Meteorological Information
The pilot had no contact with Leidos or other third-party weather vendors on the day of or day before the accident. Weather at Roosevelt Municipal Airport (74V), near the pilot's residence, around departure time: wind 080° at 3 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, broken clouds at 7,500 ft agl, temperature 10°C, dew point 3°C, altimeter 29.77 inHg. Weather at U42 near accident time: wind 080° at 4 knots, visibility 10+ statute miles, scattered clouds at 1,900 ft agl, ceiling broken at 4,300 ft agl, overcast at 5,000 ft agl, temperature 7°C, dew point 5°C, altimeter 29.83 inHg.
AIRMET Sierra was issued at 0845 for moderate icing between the freezing level and 18,000 ft msl and mountain obscuration. Weather radar imagery above the accident location between about 8,600 and 14,200 ft msl showed reflectivity consistent with light rain. Satellite imagery indicated cloudy conditions over the accident site, with cloud tops around 13,000 ft msl along the route and up to about 19,500 ft msl during the final portions of the flight.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The debris field was at about 7,656 ft msl elevation, oriented on a magnetic heading of 127°, about 125 ft long. The first piece was a small portion of a tail rotor blade. The empennage separated from the tail cone, and the tail cone separated from the fuselage. The fuselage came to rest on its right side, with the cabin portion fractured and lying on its left side. Both landing skids separated. The main rotor blades remained attached to the hub and were bowed down. The main rotor hub remained attached to the driveshaft, and the pylon remained attached to the transmission.
Fuel remaining was estimated at about 13 gallons, based on a consumption estimate of 15 gallons per hour, a last fuel purchase of 39 gallons, and a subsequent flight time of 2.25 hours. Examination of the airframe, flight control systems, and engine revealed no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Medical and Pathological Information
Toxicology testing identified 300 ng/ml of amphetamine in blood from the inferior vena cava; 346 ng/ml in heart blood; 4167 ng/ml in urine; phenylpropanolamine and oxycodone in heart blood and urine; oxymorphone in urine; and oxazepam in urine.