FTW01FA069

the pilot's inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions and failure to maintain obstacle clearance. Contributing factors were the pilot's failure to obtain an updated preflight weather briefing and the dark night conditions.

The non-instrument rated private pilots did not obtain a weather briefing or file a flight plan for the night cross-country flight. During dark night conditions, a witness observed the helicopter descending from the clouds following a highway. The helicopter appeared to be at a height just above a 285-foot tall radio tower. Approximately 5 miles south of the radio tower, the helicopter struck an electrical pole, impacted terrain, and came to rest adjacent to an oil pump jack. A weather study revealed that the accident site was in an area of low ceilings and restricted visibility. During examination of the helicopter, no anomalies were found with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal flight operations.

HISTORY OF FLIGHT On February 15, 2001, approximately 2215 central standard time, a Robinson R-22 Beta helicopter, N4002M, struck an electrical pole and impacted terrain during a dark night cross-country flight near Borger, Texas. The helicopter was owned and operated by the two private pilots under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Both pilots received fatal injuries, and the helicopter was destroyed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of departure from Gruver, Texas, approximately 2130, and fog was reported in the vicinity of Borger on the night of the accident. A flight plan was not filed for the personal flight with a planned destination of a private helipad near Amarillo, Texas, approximately 70 miles southwest of Gruver. A witness, who was the daughter of the pilots, stated that approximately 2145, the helicopter circled over her residence, which is located 10 nautical miles (nm) south of the Gruver Municipal Airport (E19), and then flew south toward Morse, Texas, along the planned route of flight. According to the witness, the pilots' planned route of flight was as follows: depart E19, follow Highway 136 south to Borger, follow Highway 207 south to Panhandle-Carson County Airport (T45), Panhandle, Texas, follow Interstate 60 west to Amarillo, and terminate at the private helipad. Another witness stated that approximately 2210 as she was driving to her residence, she observed a "low flying aircraft" descending from the clouds near the south side of Borger. The witness spotted a "light" through a clear patch in the clouds. The "light" descended to just below the clouds and continued to travel south along Highway 207 toward Panhandle. The "light" appeared to be at a height "just above the radio tower," which has an elevation of 285 feet agl. Local authorities received notification approximately midnight on February 15, 2001, that the helicopter had not reached the planned destination. Search and rescue procedures were initiated; however, search efforts were hampered by the dark night, low ceilings, and fog. On February 24, 2001, approximately 1000, the helicopter was located on a ranch south of Borger, adjacent to an oil pump jack. The terrain at the accident site consisted of rolling hills and sparse vegetation. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilots' daughter observed her parents enter the helicopter and reported that her father positioned himself in the left cockpit seat, and her mother positioned herself in the right cockpit seat. The helicopter was equipped with dual flight controls; therefore, which pilot was serving as pilot-in-command (PIC) at the time of the accident is unknown. For the purpose of flight experience documentation only, the left and right seat pilots are listed in this report as first and second pilots, respectively. The first pilot received a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating on February 6, 1962. He received a rotorcraft helicopter rating on August 8, 2000. The first pilot was issued a third-class medical certificate on January 29, 2001, with the restriction "SHALL WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES." According to the pilot's logbook, at the time of the accident, he had accumulated 231 flight hours in all aircraft, and 172 flight hours in the make and model of the accident helicopter. The first pilot had accumulated 10 hours of night flying time, and had not logged any instrument flight training. In addition, he had accumulated 7.6 hours of day and 0.9 hours of night flight from Gruver to the private helipad and/or the private helipad to Gruver. The second pilot received a private pilot certificate with a rotorcraft helicopter rating on August 12, 2000. She was issued a third-class medical certificate on January 29, 2001, with the restriction "SHALL WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES." According to the pilot's logbook, at the time of the accident, she had accumulated 143 flight hours in the make and model of the accident helicopter. The second pilot had accumulated 6 hours of night flying time, and had not logged any instrument flight training. In addition, she had accumulated 11.2 hours of day and 2.0 hours of night flight from Gruver to the private helipad and/or the private helipad to Gruver. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The two-bladed, two-seat, black and white Robinson helicopter (serial number 1444) was issued a standard airworthiness certificate on June 22, 1990, and was registered to the pilots on January 19, 2000. The helicopter was powered by a 160-horsepower Lycoming O-320-B2C engine (serial number L-16212-39A). On May 3, 1999, the altimeter and static system was tested to 20,000 feet msl, with a 20-foot margin of error at 1,000 feet msl. The most recent annual inspection was completed on December 7, 2000, at which time, the airframe and engine had accumulated a total of 954.5 hours. At the time of the accident, the helicopter had accumulated 975.6 hours. According to the factory equipment list for the helicopter, dated June 19, 1990, the flight instruments and other equipment installed on the aircraft included: airspeed indicator, altimeter, compass, Apollo II Loran C, strobe light, two landing lights, two forward and one tail position lights. The helicopter was not equipped for flight in instrument meteorological conditions. In addition, an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) was not installed on the helicopter, nor was one required; however, it was available as optional equipment from the manufacturer. The daughter, who drove the pilots to the airport, reported that her father stated that the aircraft had approximately 14 gallons of fuel on board for the flight to Amarillo. The flight to E19 conducted earlier that day from the private helipad near Amarillo had consumed 10 gallons of fuel. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION According to McAlester Flight Service Station personnel, at 1447, one of the two pilots requested a weather briefing for a flight to E19 that was to depart from a location near Amarillo at 1830. There were no additional weather briefings requested by either pilot of the accident aircraft. The area forecast for Northwestern Texas issued for February 15, 2001, at 2045, was valid until 1500, on February 16, 2001. The forecast was "sky clear occasional broken cirrus east. Becoming February 16, 0400-0800 ceiling overcast 1,000 feet. Visibility 3 miles mist." There were no AIRMETs, convective SIGMETs, or non-convective SIGMETs issued by the Aviation Weather Center pertinent to the planned route of flight, and there were no PIREPs relevant to the accident area. At 2053, the weather observation facility at Guymon Municipal Airport (GUY), Guymon, Oklahoma, located 27 miles north of E19, reported clear skies, visibility 8 statute miles, wind from 120 degrees at 6 knots, temperature 30 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 27 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.01 inches of Mercury. At 2153, GUY reported clear skies, visibility 8 statute miles, wind from 110 degrees at 3 knots, temperature 28 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 25 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.04 inches of Mercury. The weather observation facility at Borger-Hutchinson County Airport (BGD), located 5 miles north of the accident site, was malfunctioning at the time of the following observations. The BGD 2151 and 2331 observations were not transmitted, and for the 2151 observation, the sky condition was missing from the report. At 2151, BGD reported visibility 8 statute miles, wind from 010 degrees at 10 knots, temperature 30 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 27 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.00 inches of Mercury. At 2331, BGD reported broken clouds at 800 feet, visibility 8 statute miles, wind calm, temperature 28 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 27 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.04 inches of Mercury. At 2117, the weather observation facility at