No fatalities
16 Oct 2020: ROBINSON R44 — Spring Mountain Raceway LLC — Pahrump, NV
On 16 Oct 2020, a ROBINSON R44 operated by Spring Mountain Raceway LLC was involved in an aviation accident near Pahrump, NV. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control while hovering low over a body a water while facing into the sun, which resulted in a loss of visual reference and subsequent impact with the lake surface. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control while hovering low over a body a water while facing into the sun, which resulted in a loss of visual reference and subsequent impact with the lake surface.
— NTSB Determination
Contributing factors
PilotAltitude — Not attained/maintainedEffect on personnelEffect on operation