N392GP

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 28, 2014, at 1433 Alaska daylight time, a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter, N392GP, collided with the ground and caught fire while maneuvering for landing during an external-load flight at Birchwood Airport (BCV), Chugiak, Alaska. The commercial pilot was fatally injured, and the helicopter was destroyed by the ground impact and postimpact fire. The flight was operated by Global Positioning Services, Inc., under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 133 with no flight plan filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The local flight departed BCV about 1315.

According to the operator's representative, the pilot had been conducting practice flights with a 150-ft long-line attached to a fluid-filled, 55-gallon barrel in preparation for an upcoming project. Satellite flight-following data provided by the operator (the helicopter was equipped with a Latitude Technologies system that recorded data in 2-minute intervals) showed that the entire flight remained within 5 nautical miles (nm) of the airport, maneuvering near the airport and northeast along the coast of Knik Arm.

Several witnesses at the airport said that they saw the helicopter flying on the day of the accident with the barrel suspended beneath it by the long-line. One witness, who was a pilot flying his airplane near the airport with a passenger, said that he heard the accident pilot provide position reports over the airport common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) about every half mile, beginning from about 5 miles out as the helicopter approached BCV from the north. When the helicopter arrived at the airport, the witness observed it hover over the approach end of runway 20R (the longer of the airport's two parallel runways). The witness recalled that, in addition to his airplane, one airplane was flying on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern for runway 20R, a second airplane was flying southbound east of the highway, and a third airplane was departing from runway 2R (the shorter parallel runway). The witness said that he heard the accident pilot communicate over the CTAF to the departing airplane several times, "Did you hear me?" but there was no response from the pilot of the departing airplane. Both the witness in the airplane and another on the ground said that the departing airplane appeared to pass close to the hovering helicopter as the airplane headed north and left the area.

The witness in the airplane intended to land on runway 20R, so he maneuvered his airplane to wait for the helicopter to clear the runway. As the helicopter transitioned east toward the ramp where it normally landed, he asked the helicopter pilot over the CTAF his intentions. The witness reported that the helicopter pilot responded, "landing," then there was a "click" over the radio, and the helicopter suddenly pitched nose-up, rolled over to the left, descended, and crashed. The passenger in the witness' airplane said that the helicopter pitched "way nose up," rolled left, then descended near vertically to the ground. The passenger witness demonstrated the movement with his hand, illustrating that the helicopter's motion was sudden, and its left roll was extreme before it descended straight down to the ground.

Multiple witnesses on the ground reported hearing "pop" or "bang" noises, and one reported "two cracks and a loud boom." None of these witnesses had the helicopter in view when they heard the noises, and no known witnesses saw in detail the relative positions of the helicopter, its long-line, and the load during the accident sequence. One ground witness, who was in a hangar adjacent to the accident site, reported that the helicopter's engine made a high-pitch sound followed by two loud "bang" noises that came a few seconds apart. When he looked to see what made the sound, he saw the helicopter on the ground in flames with the smoke blowing toward the hangar. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with a rating for rotorcraft helicopter. He held a second-class Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airman medical certificate issued April 1, 2014, with the limitation "must wear corrective lenses." The pilot's logbook recorded that his most recent flight review, as required by Special Federal Aviation Regulation 73, Section 2(c)(2) and (3), was completed in the Robinson R-44 on July 1, 2013.

According to the pilot's logbook, as of May 23, 2014, the pilot had accumulated 2,174 hours total flight time, including 2,061.3 hours pilot-in-command (PIC) time, all of which was in helicopters. All of the pilot's flight time recorded in the logbook (which was the second book of two and began with an entry dated April 30, 2010, and 656.5 total flight hours) was accumulated in Robinson R-44 helicopters (primarily, the accident helicopter). The pilot completed a Robinson Helicopter Company pilot safety course and R-44 flight training in November 2008.

In the 90 days before the accident, the pilot had accumulated 59.5 hours, and his logbook indicated that most of these flights involved proficiency practice such as autorotations, hover maneuvers, and flights with a 50-, 100-, or 150-ft long-line. The pilot had conducted seven flights (including the accident flight) with a 150-foot long-line in the accident helicopter in the 2 weeks before the accident.

According to the pilot's spouse, the day of the accident was a normal day for the pilot. She said that he typically slept about 8 hours per night, had gone to bed before 2300 the night before the accident, and had awakened about 0630 that morning, which was typical for him. She could recall nothing abnormal about his schedule or sleep in the days before the accident. She noted that he was interested in being proficient with the long-line because he had an upcoming project that would involve lowering an all-terrain-vehicle (ATV) to a site, and he wanted to make sure he would not damage the ATV in the process. She said that the pilot had been researching the way that the barrel swings, even studying at home how a weighted string reacts to motion. She described his interest in the long-line training and research as excitement, not concern or apprehension.

The pilot's spouse described that the pilot was very dedicated to keeping in shape and staying healthy and that he exercised regularly. She said that he had no recent health concerns other than mild cold- or pollen-related symptoms within the past 6 weeks, but the symptoms had cleared.

In response to questions, the pilot's spouse stated that her husband did not have a cardiologist, only a primary care physician. She recalled that the pilot had some kind of heart-related "scare" perhaps 3 or 4 years before the accident and that the primary care physician performed testing on the pilot at that time. She recalled that some of the tests performed may have been subject to misreading and had to be done again or followed by other tests, but she could not recall specifics. She described that the pilot had regular follow-up screenings from his primary physician. AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe helicopter was equipped with a Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 engine. According to inspection and maintenance records, the most recent engine log entry, dated March 14, 2014, documented a 50-hour inspection, oil and filter change, oil screen check, and Hobbs meter replacement; the engine time since overhaul was recorded as 120.2 hours. The most recent airframe log entry, dated May 12, 2014, documented the installation of new position lights and the adjustment of the left helipod brackets; the airframe total time was documented as 2,339.4 hours.

The records indicated that the engine was overhauled to factory new limits on April 26, 2013, at an engine total time of 2,200 hours. A maintenance record dated June 18, 2013, recorded that the overhauled engine was installed at an airframe total time of 2166.8 hours; other maintenance recorded on that date included the overhaul of the Onboard Systems International cargo hook, model 528-023-01. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONThe closest official weather observation station was located at BCV. At 1416, BCV reported, in part, that the wind was from 300° at 3 knots, visibility was 10 miles, the sky condition was clear, the temperature was 57° F, and the dew point was 43° F.

A review of FAA weather camera images for BCV revealed that, for all camera views (northeast, northwest, south, and southeast), images taken about the time of accident (from about 7 minutes before to about 1 minute after) showed that clouds were present at the airport with no visibility restrictions below them. Rising terrain 11 miles south and 6 miles northeast, as well as a 4,400-ft mean sea level peak 7.5 miles southeast of the airport, were identifiable in the images. (Note: None of the cameras captured any detailed image of the accident helicopter.) AIRPORT INFORMATIONThe helicopter was equipped with a Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 engine. According to inspection and maintenance records, the most recent engine log entry, dated March 14, 2014, documented a 50-hour inspection, oil and filter change, oil screen check, and Hobbs meter replacement; the engine time since overhaul was recorded as 120.2 hours. The most recent airframe log entry, dated May 12, 2014, documented the installation of new position lights and the adjustment of the left helipod brackets; the airframe total time was documented as 2,339.4 hours.

The records indicated that the engine was overhauled to factory new limits on April 26, 2013, at an engine total time of 2,200 hours. A maintenance record dated June 18, 2013, recorded that the overhauled engine was installed at an airframe total time of 2166.8 hours; other maintenance recorded on that date included the overhaul of the Onboard Systems International cargo hook, model 528-023-01. WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATIONInitial examination of the helicopter at the accident site revealed that the fuselage came to rest on its l...