History of Flight
On March 25, 2022, at about 1127 central daylight time, a Robinson R44 helicopter was destroyed in an accident near Rowlett, Texas. The flight was conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as an instructional flight. The flight instructor and pilot receiving instruction sustained fatal injuries.
The accident flight was the second flight of the day and comprised lesson 11 of the training syllabus, which included pre-solo maneuvers, emergency procedures, equipment malfunctions, and vortex ring state (VRS) recognition and recovery. The first flight, lesson 10, had been completed successfully.
Video provided to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) showed the helicopter and its separated tailboom and tail rotor section falling, but did not capture the in-flight separation. ADS-B data from the last minute of flight indicated the helicopter was maneuvering at slow airspeeds and altitudes. At 1126:07, the helicopter was about 1,975 ft mean sea level with a ground speed of 7 knots.
A witness reported hearing the helicopter and noticing it was not moving. He observed the helicopter hovering, moving about 100 ft, hovering again, and then moving another 100 ft before hovering. He then saw a separation from the helicopter, the tail section falling west, and the helicopter spiraling and falling. After a brief pause in descent and spin, the helicopter began spinning again and nose-dived to the ground. No radio or distress calls were heard.
Personnel Information
The pilot receiving instruction was working toward a helicopter rating; seven of his previous lessons were with a different instructor. The flight instructor had flown with the pilot for three lessons prior to the accident and was qualified in Robinson R-22 and R-44 helicopters, having completed the Robinson Helicopter Pilot Safety Training Course on May 5, 2021.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The main section of the helicopter came to rest in a vacant lot between a commercial strip mall and a municipal roadway, and was largely consumed by a post-impact fire. A 4-ft section of the tail boom, with the tail rotor assembly attached, struck the roof of a one-story commercial building about 300 ft away. Main rotor blade impact marks on the separated tail boom indicated main rotor contact in flight. The elastomeric teeter stops were severely damaged with bent brackets, and the main rotor drive shaft showed scuff marks near the damaged stops.
Detailed examinations of the airframe, drive system, annunciator light panel, flight controls, main rotor, tail rotor, drive systems, powerplant controls, and fuel system revealed no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have precluded normal operation. All fractures in flight control tubes were consistent with overload or thermal damage; control tube attachments were secure. The main rotor swashplate moved freely. Both main rotor blade pitch links were fractured at the upper rod end in overload. The three hydraulic servos sustained thermal damage and could not be moved. The tail rotor pitch change slider moved freely. The engine examination found no preaccident mechanical anomalies.
Additional Information
The source includes information on vortex ring state (VRS) from the Robinson Flight Training Guide (March 2019), which describes VRS as most dangerous at low altitudes, often during a steep approach with a tailwind. The guide details entry and recovery procedures, including the traditional technique (forward cyclic and collective reduction) and the Vuichard Recovery (collective raise with left pedal and right cyclic). An amendment in January 2024 modified the entry procedure to caution against allowing the condition to develop beyond initial indications and to avoid large control inputs.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies conducted at the Southwestern Institute of Forensic Sciences in Dallas, Texas determined the cause of death for both individuals as blunt force injuries. Toxicological testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory and the Southwestern Institute detected 68 ng/g of bupropion in the flight instructor and 258 ng/ml of cetirizine in the pilot receiving instruction.