Robinson R44 N7187D accident near Two Harbors, California

Probable cause

The pilot's continued visual flight into instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

NTSB analysis

The pilot of the helicopter was conducting a visual flight rules (VFR) cross-country flight from which he failed to return as planned. Radar data depicted the helicopter about 375 ft above ground level and 117 knots with no sudden airspeed or altitude diversions before it impacted an island hillside. The wreckage was located the following day, significantly fragmented and consumed by a postimpact fire. Ground scars and the wreckage distribution were consistent with collision with terrain in a level flight attitude. There was no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter.

Review of weather information supported instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) over the area of the accident site and an environment conducive to cloud development below 1,000 ft mean sea level. Satellite data showed that, during the accident timeframe, the northwestern part of the island (where the accident site was located) was affected by cloud cover, although most of the rest of the island was not, or the cloud coverage was not as extensive. The weather information that the pilot may have accessed before the flight could not be determined; however, reports available to him likely depicted higher cloud bases than those present over the accident site at the time of the accident. A first responder reported that low ceilings and visibility were common for the area for that time of year, and typically formed in the early evening hours and persisted overnight into the morning.

The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s continued VFR flight into a localized area of IMC, which resulted in controlled flight into terrain.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR19FA175 for the full record.