Robinson R-44 accident near Gallatin, Tennessee, November 3, 2008
On November 3, 2008, a Robinson R-44 (helicopter), registered N300FX, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (descent) near Gallatin, Tennessee. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadvertent descent into water as a result of the dark night and limited outside visual references.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 2008 · cases in 2008
- Place
- Gallatin, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R-44 · all R-44s on the register
- Registration
- N300FX · registry record · serial 1102
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The certificated private pilot was flying his second of two solo night flights for an add-on helicopter rating. He flew the same route as the previous evening but, due to a change from daylight savings time to standard time, he was flying the route an hour later. The end of nautical twilight was about 15 minutes before the accident and the moon was in its crescent phase. According to radar data, which did not include altitude readouts, the helicopter overflew a river leading to a small town, then followed the river, mid-stream, as it turned to the left. The helicopter then flew over a bridge and disappeared into the river on the other side. Examinations of the wreckage revealed no mechanical anomalies. The pilot did not hold an instrument rating and was conducting night operations over water, which likely resulted in spatial disorientation.
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
- Loss of visual reference during enroute (descent)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during enroute (descent) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusio › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Contributed to outcome
Dual student
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 210 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 16 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 60 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 685 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, October 1, 2008; 27 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-F1 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Noble Aviation LLC
The flight
- Departed from: M54 Lebanon TN
- Destination: M88 Nashville TN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.26 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
28 documents, released by the NTSB on June 29, 2010. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N300FX on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Robinson R44 1,938 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-F1 5,245 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Lebanon Municipal · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Tennessee 1,196 since 1982 · 229 in the last ten years
- Tennessee 6,518 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA09FA036.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.