N921JM

On May 08, 2011, a Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II (N921JM) was involved in an incident near Golden, CO. All 3 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The pilot’s decision to operate the helicopter at a high density altitude near terrain, which resulted in a settling with power condition.

The helicopter was following participants in a downhill skateboard race in mountainous terrain. The pilot had just performed a left pedal turn and the helicopter was facing upslope to the mountain. The low rotor warning sounded and the pilot lowered collective and increased throttle. The pilot stated that the engine did not respond so he continued to lower the collective and looked for a place to land. During the forced landing on the down sloping terrain, the helicopter came to rest on its nose resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor, skid tubes, and tail boom. An examination of the helicopter, engine, and systems, conducted by the Federal Aviation Administration, revealed no anomalies. The density altitude was calculated to be 10,600 feet.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN11CA325. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N921JM.