Robinson R44 accident near Whitehall, Maryland, July 24, 2020
On July 24, 2020 at about 10:30 pm local time, a 1997 Robinson R44 (helicopter), registered N350DM, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Whitehall, Maryland. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain adequate clearance from a known obstacle while landing from a hover.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2020 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Whitehall, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44 Undesignat, built 1997 · all R44s on the register
- Registration
- N350DM · registry record · serial 0366
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the aerial application helicopter had sprayed hundreds of acres earlier in the day and was positioning the helicopter at another farm site for spraying the following day. He said he selected a landing site next to a grain trailer to remain clear of on-going farm operations. The pilot stated he began his approach at the end of a 7-hour duty day, hovered adjacent to the trailer, and focused his attention on the position of the spray booms as he descended over the landing spot. As he lowered the collective control to complete the landing, the main rotor blades struck the top and side of the grain trailer which resulted in substantial damage to the helicopter’s main rotor blades and tailboom. The pilot reported that there were no mechanical deficiencies with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. In the NTSB Form 6120.1 Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident/Incident Report the pilot offered several safety recommendations to prevent similar accidents from happening in the future. Among them, he suggested a "higher level" of aeronautical decision making, improved fatigue awareness, better obstacle awareness, and maintenance of landing area scan and avoidance of "fixation" on any one item or obstacle.
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
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Ground equipment › Response/compensation
- Personnel issues › Physical › Alertness/Fatigue › (general) › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,298 hours in all; 1,662 in this make and model; 2,018 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, January 9, 2020; 3,869 hours since
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-F1B5 (piston); 3,869 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: New Freedom PA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: Whitehall MD
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 10:15 pm from KDMW, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on April 12, 2021. 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.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.