Noxen, PA, USA
N646AG
ROBINSON R66
The flight departed under visual flight rules (VFR) and then obtained VFR flight following before proceeding in a southeasterly direction. About 28 minutes after takeoff, while flying about 3,000 feet mean sea level over a sparsely populated and heavily wooded area with few ground reference lights, the flight likely encountered light rain. The pilot flew south of a wind turbine, initiated an approximate 180-degree left turn with 300 feet altitude loss, then began following a dirt road associated with the wind turbines. After completion of the turn he advised the controller, "...we're inadvertent IMC [instrument meteorological conditions], reversing..." and asked for a heading to the nearest airport. The controller asked the pilot if he wanted a vector to the nearest airport and also if the flight was in IMC, but there was no reply. The controller provided a heading for a vector to a nearby airport but the pilot did not respond. The flight continued in the same orientation following the course reversal, flying past another wind turbine before turning right; the controller again advised the pilot of the direction to the nearest airport. The pilot immediately responded that he was, "...having trouble maintaining control here." The controller informed the pilot that the nearest airport was heading 068 degrees and 8 miles away, and the recorded radar data indicates the pilot flew a north-northeasterly heading with changes in altitude noted. The comments from the pilot followed by the maneuvering (changes in altitude and heading) were consistent with the known effects of spatial disorientation. Radio and radar contact were lost; the helicopter descended on an east-northeasterly heading into trees and terrain in a heavily wooded area away from any nearby wind turbines. Postaccident examination of the helicopter revealed extensive impact damage, although there was no evidence of a preimpact failure with the flight controls, drive line, or structure. The engine was found to operate normally and data downloaded from the engine monitoring unit indicates no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. While there was no record of an official preflight weather briefing before departure, a text message from the non-instrument rated pilot to his brother approximately 1 hour before departure stating, "...Waiting out weather to fly back to [Ocean City, MD] tonight" indicates that to some extent he was aware of the weather. Had the pilot obtained an official preflight weather briefing for the intended VFR flight, the briefing specialist likely would have advised him against VFR flight due to IMC (ceiling less than 1,000 feet and visibility less than 3 miles) and mountain obscuration that were forecast to exist in the accident area. Although the left seat occupant was a student pilot, it is unlikely the pilot-in-command was giving him instruction during the accident flight. While operation of a helicopter with decreased ceiling and visibility can be safely performed, the environmental conditions in the accident site area consisting of a sparsely populated heavily wooded area with few ground reference lights and no illumination from the moon were indicators that VFR flight should not have continued.
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 27, 2013, about 2220 eastern daylight time, a Robinson Helicopter Company R66 helicopter N646AG, operated by a private individual, collided with trees and terrain near Noxen, Pennsylvania. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed in the area at the time and no flight plan was filed for the 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight from Tri-Cities Airport (CZG), Endicott, New York, to Jake Arner Memorial Airport (22N), Lehighton, Pennsylvania. The helicopter was destroyed and the commercial-rated pilot and 4 passengers were fatally injured. The flight originated from CZG about 2151. The flight departed VFR, and at 2153, the non-instrument rated pilot contacted Binghamton Approach Control and advised the controller that the flight had just departed CZG, and was requesting visual flight rules (VFR) flight following. The controller provided the altimeter setting (30.00 inches of Mercury) and asked the pilot the destination and requested altitude, to which he replied 22N, and 3,000 feet msl. A discrete transponder code was assigned (4606), and the flight was radar identified 3 miles southwest of CZG. The flight proceeded in a southwesterly direction flying about 3,000 feet until about 2157, then turned to a south-southeasterly heading while flying between 2,600 and 3,000 feet msl. At 2204, air traffic control communications were transferred to Wilkes-Barre Approach Control; the pilot established contact with that facility advising the controller that the flight was level at 3,000 feet msl. The Wilkes-Barre Approach controller acknowledged the transmission, and issued an altimeter setting of 30.00 inches of Mercury. While in contact with that facility the flight proceeded in a southeasterly direction with altitude and slight heading changes until about 2219, at which time recorded radar reflects a left turn to a northwesterly direction. Correlation of the radar targets from recordings of the Wilkes-Barre airport surveillance radar with locations of wind turbines in the area revealed that between 2218:55, and 2219:00, the helicopter flew west of the B-26 wind turbine, and continued in a southeasterly direction, then when turning to a northwesterly direction about 2219:19, the pilot flew just south of the B-21 wind turbine. The radar targets depict the flight path above and adjacent to a road associated with the wind turbines while turning to a northwesterly direction; no determination could be made whether the pilot had visual contact with the road. At 2219:40, while just east of the B-16 wind turbine, the pilot advised the controller, "we're inadvertent IMC, reversing ah, can you give us a heading to the nearest airport, please." The controller asked the pilot if he wanted a heading to the nearest airport and if the flight was in IFR conditions but the pilot did not respond to that transmission. The radar data reflects that the helicopter continued in a northwesterly direction until 2219:53. About 6 seconds later, the controller instructed the pilot to fly heading 068 degrees for vectors to an airport, to which he replied 5 seconds later "6 alpha golf having trouble maintaining control here." The helicopter at that time was located about 1,105 feet east-southeast of the previous radar target 10 seconds earlier, and had descended from 2,800 to 2,600 feet msl. The radar data from Wilkes-Barre Approach reflects that between 2220:03 and 2220:17, the flight proceeded in a northeasterly heading with some altitude deviation noted. The controller then asked the pilot, "helicopter 6AG ah you having trouble maintaining altitude sir", to which the pilot immediately replied, "Affirmative 6AG." The radar data reflected that between 2220:17, and 2220:27, the helicopter descended from 2,600 to 2,300 feet, though the coordinates remained unchanged. Radio and radar contact were lost. The pilot of a nearby airline flight attempted to communicate with the pilot at 2221, but there was no reply. The helicopter crashed on privately owned wooded land leased to an energy company; there were no known witnesses to the accident that occurred during a dark night. A 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal was received at the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC) at 2224, and the Pennsylvania State Police and State Emergency Operations Center were notified. A search was initiated, but adverse weather (heavy fog) caused the search to be called off in the early morning hours. The search resumed several hours later when the weather conditions improved; the wreckage was located on July 28, 2013, about 1350. PERSONNEL INFORMATION The pilot seated in the right seat, age 30, held a commercial pilot certificate with rotorcraft helicopter rating issued January 19, 2012. He also held a certified flight instructor certificate with rotorcraft helicopter rating issued February 25, 2012. He was issued a first class medical certificate with no limitations on April 30, 2012. On the application for his last medical certificate he listed a total time of 350 hours. His 2nd pilot logbook contained entries from the first dated February 12, 2013, to the last dated July 21, 2013. He carried forward a total flight time of 952 hours, 14.5 hours simulated instrument time, and 6.0 hours turbine powered rotorcraft helicopter, though the make and model helicopter was not specified. Including his carry forward time he logged a total time of approximately 1,328 hours, of which 1,274 hours were as pilot-in-command. He did not log any simulated or actual instrument flight time in the 2nd pilot logbook. Excluding the unlogged flights after July 21, 2013, he logged a total of approximately 92 hours night flight time, of which approximately 5 hours were in the previous 90 days, and 0.3 hour, or 18 minutes was logged in the previous 30 days. The last logged night flight occurred on July 16, 2013, and was flown in a Robinson R22. Further review of his 2nd logbook revealed an entry dated July 19, 2013 indicating his attendance of a R66 helicopter pilot safety course at the manufacturer's facility. A total of approximately 1 hour was logged in the R66 helicopter. Documents provided by Robinson Helicopter Company associated with the pilot/flight instructor safety course revealed that on the application dated June 28, 2013, he listed in part having accrued 1,306 hours total helicopter hours, and 6 hours in R66 helicopters. Ground training was conducted July 15 through July 18, 2013, and on July 19, 2013, an approximately 1.0 hour flight was conducted in an R66 helicopter. On the "Instructor/Pilot Evaluation" form for training conducted in the R66, the instructor indicated his proficiency was above average in "Knowledge" with a comment indicating, "Well studied on systems." He was marked average for the remainder of the maneuvers, and a comment in the General Comments section indicated, "Flew well – no problems noted. Taking delivery of R-66 today." In addition, he was approved to transition other pilot's in Robinson R66 helicopters. Following completion of the pilot/flight instructor safety course at the manufacturer's facility, he and another pilot flew the helicopter during the course of several flights over a 3 day period from California to Hampton Roads Executive Airport (PVG), Norfolk, Virginia. While the pilot logged the time (approximately 19.6 hours) as dual received and pilot-in-command, the other individual who flew with him and who is a certified flight instructor reported flying the helicopter 7.4 hours. He also indicated he did not give the accident pilot any flight instruction during any of the flights, and further, he did not sign his pilot logbook indicating he had given him flight instruction. The individual who flew with the accident pilot reported there were no discrepancies with the helicopter, and all systems worked OK with no squawks noted. After an uneventful arrival in Virginia at PVG, the other pilot departed, and the accident pilot flew the helicopter to Ocean City Municipal Airport (OXB), Ocean City, Maryland; the flight duration was logged to be approximately 1 hour, and there were no further logged flights in the accident helicopter. Data downloaded from the Engine Monitoring Unit (EMU) correlated with unlogged flights in the pilot's pilot logbook revealed he accrued approximately 7 hours, bringing his total time to 1,335 hours. On the accident date including the accident flight, the helicopter was operated on 6 flights totaling approximately 6 hours. The occupant seated in the left front seat was issued a student pilot medical certificate on February 19, 2013, with a restriction to wear corrective lenses. On the application for the medical certificate he listed 10 hours flight time. AIRCRAFT INFORMATION The helicopter was manufactured by Robinson Helicopter Company in 2013, under a production certificate issued on October 25, 2010, and designated serial number 0409. It was equipped with a Rolls-Royce 250-C300/A1 engine rated for 270 horsepower for takeoff limited to 5 minutes or 224 horsepower continuous. The helicopter was equipped with 5 seats. The helicopter was approved for VFR operations day and night. VFR operation at night is permitted only when landing, navigation, instrument, and anti-collision lights are operational. Section 2 of the Pilot's Operating Handbook and FAA Approved Rotorcraft Flight Manual indicates that in "Kinds of Operating Limitations" that orientation during night flight must be maintained by visual reference to ground objects illuminated solely by lights on the ground or adequate celestial illumination. Review of the airframe and engine logbooks revealed no entries other than those associated with production of the airframe or engine. According to the hour meter, the elapsed time since manufacture at the time of the accident was 33.08 hours, while the engine monitoring unit indicates a total engine run time of approximately 28 hours, and 18 engine starts. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION There was no record with Lockheed Martin AFSS, or either DUAT vendor (CSC or DTC) that the pilot obtained a preflight weather briefing before departure. Airmet Sierra Update 6, for IFR conditions issued by National Weather Service (NWS) at 1645, and valid until 2300, bordered the immediate vicinity of the accident site. The Airmet indicated that between 2000 and 2300, and continuing beyond 2300 to 0500 the next day, ceilings below 1,000 feet and visibilities below 3 miles with precipitation and mist were forecast. The Airmet for mountain obscuration, which extended over the route and the accident site, indicated that between 1700 and 2000, and continuing beyond 2300 to 0500 the next day, clouds, precipitation, and mist were forecast. The NWS Weather Depiction Chart for 1800 EDT depicted an area of instrument flight rule (IFR) conditions over eastern Pennsylvania by a shaded contour line due to visibility 2 miles in thunderstorms and moderate rain, which was surrounding by an area of marginal visual flight rule (MVFR) conditions by an unshaded contour line. Multiple stations across western Pennsylvania and New York reported rain and thunderstorms with MVFR conditions. A surface observation taken from Binghamton Regional Airport (BGM), Binghamton, NY, at 2142, or approximately 9 minutes before the flight departed indicates the wind was from 190 degrees at 8 knots, the visibility was 2.5 miles with moderate rain and mist, broken clouds existed at 600 feet and 1,400 feet, and overcast clouds existed at 7,000 feet. The temperature and dew point were 19 and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively, and the altimeter setting was 29.99 inches of Mercury (inHg). At 2045, or approximately 1 hour 6 minutes before the flight departed, the Area Forecast (FA) issued by the National Weather Service Aviation Weather Center indicated that for eastern Pennsylvania, expected broken clouds at 3,500 feet layered to 25,000 feet, with widely scattered thunderstorms and light rain, with cumulonimbus tops to 38,000 feet. At 2054, or approximately 1 hour before the flight departed, the pilot sent a text message to his brother indicating, "…Waiting out weather to fly back to [Ocean City, MD] tonight." At the same time, a surface observation from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP), Scranton, PA, located approximately 18 miles east-southeast of the accident site reported wind from 220 degrees at 4 knots, 10 miles visibility with light rain, scattered clouds at 7,000 feet, broken clouds at 8,000 feet, and overcast clouds at 10,000 feet. The temperature and dew point were 22 and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively, and the altimeter setting was 30.00 in Hg. At 2100, or approximately 51 minutes before the flight departed, the Weather Depiction Chart depicted a larger area of MVFR conditions extending over across western and central New York and northern Pennsylvania along and ahead of the approaching frontal system. The accident site was located in the area of MVFR conditions. Visual flight rule (VFR) conditions were depicted across southern Pennsylvania into Maryland, with the station models depicted overcast sky coverage. The GOES-13 infrared satellite imagery for 2202 and 2232 EDT respectively with a standard MB temperature enhance curve applied to highlight the higher and colder cloud tops typically associated with convective activity. The images depict an extensive area of low clouds over the region with a north-to-south band of enhanced clouds moving over the route of flight at the time of the accident, with the radiative cloud top temperatures corresponding to cloud tops between 29,000 and 33,500 feet. The closest Weather Surveillance Radar-1988, Doppler (WSR-88D) to the accident site was from the NWS Binghamton (KBGM) located approximately 46 miles north of the accident site, at an elevation of 1,606 feet. Based on the radar height calculations, the 0.5 degree elevation scan depicted the conditions encompassing the altitude between 3,230 and 7,860 feet over the accident site, with the floor just above the helicopters altitude. The KBGM 0.5 degree base reflectivity image at 2220 EDT depicts the accident site area with light reflectivity values of 15 to 20 dBZ, and several high reflectivity echoes on the range of 50 dBZ east of the general route of flight associated with embedded thunderstorms with one of the cells immediately north of Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (AVP), which was reporting IFR conditions in heavy rain at the time. A remote automated weather station RAWS located about 24 miles northwest of the accident site reported at 2201, or approximately 19 minutes before the accident, that the wind was calm, the temperature and dew point were 67 and 66 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively, and the relative humidity was 95 percent. A surface observation taken from AVP at 2221, or approximately 1 minute after the accident indicates the wind was variable at 4 knots, the visibility was 1.25 miles with heavy rain and mist, runway 04 visual range (RVR) 4,000 variable 6,000 feet, a few clouds at 600 feet, broken clouds at 1200 feet, and overcast clouds at 4,900 feet. The temperature and dew point were 19 and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively, and the altimeter setting was 30.00 inHg. A RAWS located approximately 15 miles north-northeast of the accident site reported at 2229, or approximately 9 minutes after the accident, that the wind was calm, the temperature and dew point were 66 and 62 degrees Fahrenheit, respectively, the relative humidity was 88 percent, and rain was being recorded at the time of the observation. Based on the approximate location of the accident, sunset occurred at 2025, and the end of civil twilight occurred at 2056. The Sun and the Moon were more than 15 degrees below the horizon and provided no illumination. FLIGHT RECORDERS The helicopter was equipped with an Engine Monitoring Unit (EMU) that is a digital recording device mounted behind the right rear seatback panel. The EMU records and retains data consisting of total engine run time, an engine start counter (whenever N1 exceeds 30 percent and Measured Gas Temperature (MGT) is at least 343 degrees Celsius), and exceedances for N1, N1 run
The pilot's decision to continue VFR flight into night instrument meteorological conditions, which resulted in spatial disorientation and a loss of control.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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