Tuesday, July 30, 2019

Robinson R44 Raven II, N7508Z: Accident occurred July 27, 2019 near Blair Municipal Airport (KBTA), Washington County, Nebraska

The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Lincoln, Nebraska

Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/N7508Z

Location: Blair, NE
Accident Number: CEN19LA240
Date & Time: 07/27/2019, 1628 CDT
Registration: N7508Z
Aircraft: Robinson R44
Injuries: 1 Minor
Flight Conducted Under: Part 137: Agricultural

On July 27, 2019, at 1628 central daylight time, a Robinson R44 II helicopter, N7508Z, impacted terrain following a reported system malfunction near Blair, Nebraska. The commercial pilot sustained minor injuries, and the helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades and tailboom. The helicopter was registered to and operated by NE IA Helicopters, LLC, Tekamah, Nebraska, as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident, and a flight plan was not filed. The local flight departed an off-airport location for aerial application operations at an unknown time.

According to the pilot, after completing the last spray pass, he pulled the helicopter up over a tree ridge and began to head towards the south. At the top of the climb, the pilot noticed the engine RPM was beyond "max limitations" and the rotor RPM was in the green range. The pilot initiated a right pedal turn to the north and decreased the engine throttle in an attempt to lower the engine RPM. After adjusting the engine throttle, the engine RPM remained at the upper limit, but the rotor RPM decreased. The pilot then attempted to correct the rotor RPM by increasing the throttle; however, the rotor RPM began to fluctuate up and down, and continued to decrease. Due to being unable to control the rotor RPM, the pilot performed a forced landing to a corn field. During the forced landing, the main rotor blades impacted corn and terrain, and the helicopter came to rest upright.

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: Robinson
Registration: N7508Z
Model/Series: R44 II
Aircraft Category: Helicopter
Amateur Built: No
Operator: NE IA Helicopters, LLC
Operating Certificate(s) Held: Agricultural Aircraft (137)

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation:
Observation Time:
Distance from Accident Site:
Temperature/Dew Point:
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 10 knots / , 180°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility:  10 Miles
Altimeter Setting:
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Departure Point: Blair, NE
Destination: Blair, NE 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Minor
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Minor
Latitude, Longitude: 41.564167, -96.140833 (est)


 A LifeNet helicopter transported Angelo Resendez (pilot) to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha.

BLAIR, Nebraska  —  A Michigan man was injured after a helicopter crash in Washington County, Nebraska.

Authorities confirmed Angelo Resendez, 46, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, was the pilot of the helicopter that crashed west of the Blair Municipal Airport.

Investigators said the call to respond to the emergency came after 4 p.m. Saturday.

Officials said Resendez was the only person inside the helicopter when it crashed near County Road 33 and County Road 38.

A medical helicopter arrived on the scene -- investigators said Resendez suffered minor injuries and reported feeling some pain.

"He was complaining of the pain. (But he was) still conscious, alert, breathing, talking to us," said Sgt. Brian Beckman, with the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

Still, Beckman said Resendez was flown to an area hospital for treatment.

"We've had some bad (helicopter crashes) in the county before with the fatalities, and this guy here is a very lucky man," said Beckman.

The Washington County Sheriff's Office said the crop duster crashed into a cornfield - investigators said it got too close to the ground as it actively dusted.

Beckman said crews found it tough to first get to Resendez because of trenches in the cornfield.

"You can't see anything from out here, and just to get somebody to coordinate exactly where he was at was our hardest part," Beckman said. "And that couldn't have taken us much more than half-an-hour to actually get to him and find him."

Beckman said crews did get the pilot out quickly.

Beckman also said the situation could have been worse because many helicopter crash victims do not survive.

Officials said the Federal Aviation Administration will start its own investigation into the crash. 

Story and video ➤ https://www.ketv.com




One person was transported via medical helicopter to an Omaha hospital after a small helicopter crashed near County Roads 33 and 38, which is about a mile west of the Blair Municipal Airport.

Kennard Rescue, Bennington Rescue, a Nebraska State Patrol officer and Washington County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene at around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday.

According to preliminary information from Washington County Sheriff's Detective Sgt. Brian Beckman, the pilot was crop dusting a field near a home just northwest of the intersection of County Roads 33 and 38.

"Must have just gotten too low to the ground," Beckman said. "Pretty low to the ground and hit hard."

The pilot, Michigan resident Angelo Resendez, 47, was conscious and indicating he was experiencing pain, Beckman said.

Resendez's injuries appeared to be non-life threatening. Chief Deputy Kevin Willis with the Washington County Sheriff's Office said on Monday that Resendez was up and walking around following the crash. A LifeNet helicopter transported him to Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha at around 5:15 p.m.

Willis said the Federal Aviation Administration is still investigating the incident.

Original article ➤ http://www.enterprisepub.com

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