The pilot was practicing various flight profiles over a pond near South Kingstown, Rhode Island, in his Robinson R44 II helicopter.
After completing the first profile, he began a profile that included a normal takeoff, a 10-foot hover, an acceleration to 40 knots, a climb to 50 feet above ground level, then a return to a 10-foot hover.
On the second attempt at this maneuver, when decelerating and descending back down to a 10-foot hover, the helicopter descended too low. The front skids caught the water and the helicopter descended into the pond, substantially damaging the tail rotor assembly and the main rotor blades.
The pilot told investigators that there were no pre-impact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. He also said that the weather and water conditions at the time of the accident were “calm and clear with no wind ripples on the water surface,” and that this produced a “mirroring effect” that hindered his depth perception.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the water while maneuvering at low altitude.
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This April 2024 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
According to the report, he held a SEL rating as well as helicopter but no seaplane rating. Anyone with a seaplane rating will tell you about the dangers of glassy water. You CANNOT see the surface as you descend down to it. He most likely was not prepared for this, though I would have thought the main rotors would have kicked up ripples on the smooth water. He would have done better to practice hovers over a field or at an airport rather than a smooth pond.
331EchoLima
That was rude to tape over the N number!
Familiarit = reduced concentration = oops = splash ! ! = OOOH nasty = ….???
There was once a chopper from Nantucket … sorry, sometimes I just can’t help myself.