Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II accident near Cross Timbers, Missouri, May 24, 2013
On May 24, 2013 at about 11:00 pm local time, a 2006 Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, registered N569BC, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Cross Timbers, Missouri. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to see and avoid a power line during the low-altitude flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 2013 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Cross Timbers, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, built 2006
- Registration
- N569BC · no longer on the register · serial 11349
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The helicopter pilot was conducting an aerial tour. After the helicopter did not return when it was expected, a search was conducted. The wreckage was located the following day in a sparsely populated and densely wooded area. Signs of impact damage were found on nearby trees. A postimpact fire had consumed the fuselage and most of the empennage. A postaccident examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A power line was found wrapped around the main rotor drive shaft, and a section of the power line was found resting on the ground leading from the power line pole toward the main wreckage. Before impact, the power line was perpendicular to the helicopter flightpath and suspended about 65 feet above the ground. It is likely that the pilot did not see and avoid the power line and that the helicopter impacted the power line and, subsequently, trees and terrain.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Controlled flight into terrain or object (CFIT) during maneuvering defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action sequence › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Wire › Awareness of condition
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Attention/monitoring › Monitoring environment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,984 hours in all; 1,054 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 31 in the last 30 days; 1,829 as pilot in command; 560 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 11, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,220 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, March 13, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 (piston); 1,220 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Lucas Oil Products INC
The flight
- Departed from: Wheatland MO at 10:30 pm
- Destination: Wheatland MO
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from KH21, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.