Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Reno, Nevada
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
http://registry.faa.gov/N47WH
Accident Number: WPR18LA041
Date & Time: 11/30/2017, 1540 PST
Registration: N47WH
Aircraft: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R22
Injuries: 2 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal
On November 30, 2017, at 1540 Pacific standard time, a Robinson Helicopter Company R22, N47WH, landed hard and came to rest on its side at the Truckee-Tahoe Airport (TRK), Truckee, California. The helicopter was operated by the owner under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight instructor and commercial helicopter-rated pilot/owner, received serious injuries. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the local area training flight and no flight plan had been filed.
Witnesses at the airport had watched the helicopter practicing pattern work east of runway 29. They saw the helicopter turn onto its base leg at a normal altitude and then enter a rapid descent toward the runway. The witnesses observed the helicopter flare about 30 yards from the runway and impact the ground, tail rotor first, followed by the main body of the helicopter. The main rotor blades sheared the tail boom and the helicopter came to rest on its side. One of the witnesses is a airplane flight instructor, but thought the helicopter was possibly executing an autorotation.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Manufacturer: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY
Registration: N47WH
Model/Series: R22 MARINER
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Amateur Built:
Operator: TUMBLEWEED LEASING CO INC
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site:
Condition of Light:
Observation Facility, Elevation:
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site:
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction:
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility:
Altimeter Setting:
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Truckee, CA
Destination: Truckee, CA
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 2 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 39.320000, -120.139444 (est)
Two pilots were hospitalized and were in stable condition after crashing a helicopter at the Truckee Tahoe Airport Thursday afternoon.
The commercially rated pilots were flying in a two-seat Robinson R22 helicopter when they crashed at the east end of the airport. The crash was reported at about 3:40 p.m., according to a statement on the Truckee Tahoe Airport Facebook page.
The pilots were flown to a hospital in Reno. They were being treated in the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
“It appears they were flight training at the time of the incident,” authorities said on the Facebook post.
Truckee Tahoe Airport
The helicopter is registered to Tumbleweed Leasing Co. based in Salt Lake City.
The company leases out helicopters and fixed-wing aircrafts to private flight schools and institutions, according to its website.
The cause of the crash was unknown as of Friday afternoon.
The incident prompted the airport to temporarily close its runway. Airport authorities say they plan to store the wreckage onsite on behalf of the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board was also assisting in the investigation.
The Truckee Airport District says the crash happened at the east end of the airport around 3:40 p.m. Thursday, November 30, 2017.
Two commercially-rated pilots onboard were taken by medical helicopter to Reno for treatment. Their status has not been released.
The helicopter is a Robinson R22 Beta and is owned by Tumbleweed Leasing Co. of Salt Lake City.
The Truckee Airport District says it appears the two pilots were flight training at the time of the crash. The cause is still unknown.
Story and photo gallery: http://www.kolotv.com
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