In the lawsuit filed this week in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, an attorney for Nedra Obradovich claims helicopter pilot John Berg didn’t have sufficient experience to fly the Robinson R22 which he rented from Ocean Helicopters at the North County Airport.
Berg, a boat captain who was taking aerials photos of a craft he was working on at Rybovich Marina, had 67 hours of flight experience when he crashed into Obradovich’s yard near the marina in November 2011. Pilots who are taking aerial photos should have at least 500 hours of experience, the National Transportation Safety Board said when it investigated the crash.
Both Berg and his two passengers survived. Obradovich is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages for unspecified injuries and property damage in the lawsuit filed by attorney Gary Roberts.
A suit Obradovich filed against Ocean Helicopters was settled for an undisclosed amount in August.
John Berg and Emily Tandy talk about the 2011 helicopter crash shortly after it occurred.
http://registry.faa.govN413RM
NTSB Identification: ERA12LA063
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Saturday, November 05, 2011 in West Palm Beach, FL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 09/13/2012
Aircraft: ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA, registration: N413RM
Injuries: 2 Minor.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
The pilot of the helicopter received his private pilot certificate less than 4 months before the accident and had accumulated a total flight experience of 67 hours. He and a passenger were circling a boatyard about 600 feet above ground level (agl) at 60 knots with the intention of taking photographs. The pilot reported that, as he turned southbound (downwind) with the carburetor heat on, he noticed a loss of airspeed. He moved the cyclic forward in an attempt to maintain airspeed; however, the low rotor rpm horn sounded, and he performed an autorotation to a residential area. The helicopter impacted power lines, trees, and a residence. Recorded weather data revealed that the wind was from the north-northeast at 16 knots, gusting to 24 knots. Review of radar data revealed that the pilot turned into a tailwind at an altitude of 300 to 400 feet agl. Speed calculations based on the radar data revealed that the airspeed decreased from about 39 to 31 knots during the turn. The calculations did not include wind gusts, and, given the magnitude of the gusts, it is likely that the helicopter’s airspeed slowed to the point where it lost translational lift and began to settle with power. A subsequent examination of the wreckage, including a successful test-run of the engine, did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. The helicopter manufacturer recommends that photo flights should only be conducted by well trained, experienced pilots who have at least 500 hours pilot-in-command time in helicopters and over 100 hours in the model of helicopter flown.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during a low-altitude turn into gusty tailwind conditions, which resulted in a loss of translational lift and settling with power. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's lack of total flight experience.
On November 5, 2011, about 1620 eastern standard time, a Robinson R22 BETA, N413RM, operated by Ocean Helicopters Inc., was substantially damaged during an autorotation, following a loss of rotor rpm near West Palm Beach, Florida. The certificated private pilot and passenger incurred minor injuries. The personal flight was conducted under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed North Palm Beach Country Airport (F45), West Palm Beach, Florida, about 1530.
According to the pilot, the wind was from the north-northeast at 10 knots, gusting to 20 knots, and he was circling a boatyard about 600 feet above the ground at 60 knots. The pilot planned to circle the boatyard while the passenger took some photographs. After completing some circuits, as the helicopter turned southbound with the carburetor heat on, the pilot noticed a loss of airspeed. He moved the cyclic forward in an attempt to maintain airspeed; however, the low rotor rpm horn sounded and accompanying cockpit indication illuminated. When the horn sounded, the pilot immediately entered an autorotation. During the autorotation, the pilot turned left 180 degrees to fly upwind, and radioed an emergency to air traffic control. During the autorotation, the helicopter impacted powerlines, trees, and a residence.
The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades and fuselage. Following the accident, the engine was subsequently test-run on the accident helicopter. The engine started without hesitation and ran continuously at different power settings, including idle and 100 percent rpm. During the engine run, no anomalies were noted with the engine or its associated engine controls.
The pilot obtained his private pilot certificate on July 26, 2011, with a rating for rotorcraft helicopter. At the time of the accident, he reported a total flight experience of 67 hours; of which, 42 hours were in the same make and model as the accident helicopter. The pilot flew 8 hours and 1 hour during the 90-day and 30-day period preceding the accident, respectively.
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI), West Palm Beach, Florida, was located about 4 miles southwest of the accident site. The recorded wind at PBI, at 1553, was from 020 degrees at 16 knots, gusting to 24 knots.
Radar data was obtained from the Federal Aviation Administration and plotted. Review of the plot revealed that the helicopter made a left 180-degree turn, from north to south, between 1619:35 and 1620:15. During the turn, the recorded altitude varied between 300 and 400 feet. Nine radar targets were recorded during that time. The first three radar targets, depicting north travel, revealed an average groundspeed of approximately 27 knots, with an average airspeed about 37 knots based on a 16-knot wind from 020-degrees. The second set of three targets, depicting west travel in the turn, revealed an average groundspeed of approximately 39 knots, with an average airspeed about 47 knots. The third set of three targets, depicting travel from west to south at the conclusion of the turn, revealed an average groundspeed of 36 knots, with an average airspeed of 31 knots. The calculations did not include wind gusts.
Review of Robinson Safety Notice SN-34 revealed:
"AERIAL SURVEY AND PHOTO FLIGHTS - VERY HIGH RISK
There is a misconception that aerial survey and photo flights can be flown safely by low time pilots. Not true. There have been numerous fatal accidents during aerial survey and photo flights, including several involving Robinson helicopters.
Often, to please the observer or photographer, an inexperienced pilot will slow the helicopter to less than 30 KIAS and then attempt to maneuver for the best viewing angle. While maneuvering, the pilot may lose track of airspeed and wind conditions. The helicopter can rapidly lose translational lift and begin to settle…Aerial survey and photo flights should only be conducted by well trained, experienced pilots who:
1) Have at least 500 hours pilot-in-command in helicopters and over 100 hours in the model flown;
2) Have extensive training in both low RPM and settling-with-power recovery techniques;
3) Are willing to say no to the observer or photographer and only fly the aircraft at speeds, altitudes, and wind angles that are safe and allow good escape routes."
IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 413RM Make/Model: R22 Description: R-22
Date: 11/05/2011 Time: 2022
Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: None Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Substantial
LOCATION
City: WEST PALM BEACH State: FL Country: US
DESCRIPTION
N413RM ROBINSON R22 ROTORCRAFT, STRUCK TREES AND POWERLINES THEN CRASHED
INTO A HOUSE, WEST PALM BEACH, FL
INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 0
# Crew: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
# Pass: 1 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk: 1
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
WEATHER: WIND020 16GUST24 VSBY10 SCT3000BKN5500
OTHER DATA
Activity: Unknown Phase: Unknown Operation: OTHER
FAA FSDO: SOUTH FLORIDA, FL (SO19) Entry date: 11/07/2011
By Letters to the Editor for Tuesday, Nov. 8
As a retired commercial pilot, I feel compelled to do some clarifying and ask for some clarification regarding the Sunday story "Helicopter stalls, crashes near house."
I will start with the clarification. Helicopters do not stall. Their engines can fail or stop running as a result of various factors, such as fuel starvation. Engines in automobiles do occasionally stall. Usually when they stall, they will start running again.
When an airplane or helicopter engine fails in flight, it is not likely that the engine will return to a normal functional state. The "stall factor" that is relevant with aircraft is when the wing "stalls" and no longer produces lift. This is usually a result of getting the nose too high of an angle in relationship to the ground and/or allowing the airspeed to get too slow and not does relate to the functionality of the engine.
The last two highly publicized aviation crashes were Continental Flight 3407 (operated by Colgan Air) at Buffalo, N.Y., on Feb. 12, 2009, and Air France Flight 447, which crashed in the ocean off the northeast coast of Venezuela on June 1, 2009. They were caused by pilots improperly flying the airplane into a stall, resulting in the crash. During both accidents, the engines were operating normally at the time of impact. The engines had not stalled. The wing of the aircraft had stalled.
Now for the clarification request. "The pilot lost control 700 feet from the ground and brought the helicopter down for a controlled landing," said West Palm Beach Sgt. Louis Penque. Was Sgt. Penque trying to "punk" us? Is this one of those "double entendre" things that our English teachers tried to get us to understand? To control or not to control!
ALLEN MORRIS
Delray Beach
Thanks for the informative story "Helicopter stalls, crashes near house." As an ex-Army helicopter pilot in Vietnam, I noticed a couple of slight errors.
Airplanes stall - too little airflow past the wing to generate lift - and engines stall. But helicopters have engine failures, which cause pilots to initiate an auto rotation: a descent causing the upward airflow to preserve rotor speed. At the proper altitude, the pilot uses the power of the rotor blade's inertia to replace engine power and executes a landing.
The article quoted West Palm Beach Police Sgt. Louis Penque as saying, "The pilot lost control 700 feet from the ground and brought the helicopter down for a controlled landing." My thought is that someone cannot "lose control" and then control a landing. If you lose control of a helicopter at altitude, the aircraft will fall like a "greased crowbar."
The pilot did a good job of executing a forced landing (auto rotation) after an engine failure, then lost control as the first terrestrial object was contacted. The "A good landing is one you can walk away from" rule seems to apply here. I would recommend that The Post have an aviation adviser who might correct an aviation faux pas before publication.
BILL JECZALIK
Boynton Beach
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