Primary finding
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control during a course reversal, which resulted in impact with terrain.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The pilot was conducting helicopter aerial applications to a field and had just reversed course when he felt the helicopter start to descend. The pilot added power, "rolled the throttle all the way on," and increased collective and the descent continued. The pilot flared the helicopter and before it impacted the ground, the helicopter rolled and came to rest in a field, resulting in substantial damage. It is likely that the pilot lost control of the helicopter during the turn, resulting in the unexpected descent. Because the helicopter was at low altitude, the pilot did not have time to arrest the descent before impacting the ground. Postaccident examination found no mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operations.
Source record
Factual narrative
On June 21, 2019, about 1215 central daylight time, a Robinson R44 helicopter, N445AP, was substantially damaged when it impacted a field near La Ward, Texas. The commercial pilot was not injured. The aerial application flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) flight plan had been filed for the flight. According to the pilot, during the aerial application flight to a field he had just reversed his course and was preparing for the next application pass when he felt the helicopter start to descend. The pilot added power and the descent continued. The pilot "rolled the throttle all the way on" and increased collective without a change in the decent rate. As the helicopter descended towards the field it started to shake; the pilot flared the helicopter and before it impacted the ground, the helicopter rolled and then came to rest in the field. According to the FAA inspector who responded to the accident, the tail boom separated from the helicopter, the fuselage was wrinkled, the landing skids collapsed, and the main rotor was impact damaged. He stated that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operations.