Robinson Helicopter R44 accident near Forkston, Pennsylvania, April 23, 2021
On April 23, 2021 at about 1:04 am local time, a 2020 Robinson Helicopter R44, registered N4055N, was destroyed in an accident during enroute near Forkston, Pennsylvania. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate preflight weather planning, which resulted in an inadvertent encounter with instrument meteorological conditions at night, spatial disorientation, and collision with terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 23, 2021 · about 1:04 am local time
- Place
- Forkston, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter R44, built 2020 · all R44s on the register
- Registration
- N4055N · registry record · serial 2619
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot departed from his home airport about 13 minutes after sunset under visual flight rules and in visual meteorological conditions. He was not instrument-rated in helicopters, and the helicopter he owned was not approved for flight in instrument conditions. About 1 hour into the flight, the pilot likely encountered snow showers and instrument meteorological conditions that were forecast and moving through the area. Radar data showed that, after entering the area of weather, the pilot began a right, descending turn and the helicopter crashed in a rural, wooded area. The helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and a postimpact fire. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. There was no evidence that the pilot obtained a weather briefing or reviewed the weather prior to or during the flight. The dark night conditions under the likely overcast skies, the obscuration of the snow showers, and the lack of terrestrial illumination due to being over a remote and wooded area were all conducive to the formation of spatial disorientation. The pilot’s lack of an instrument rating in helicopters, and the helicopter’s lack of equipage for flight instrument meteorological conditions, would also have increased the likelihood of the pilot becoming spatially disoriented. The descending right turn exhibited by the helicopter in the final moments of the flight were consistent with the pilot experiencing spatial disorientation and a subsequent loss of control.
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
- VFR encounter with IMC during enroute defining event
- Loss of control in flight during enroute
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Weather planning › Pilot
- Personnel issues › Psychological › Perception/orientation/illusion › Spatial disorientation › Pilot
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Light condition › Dark › Effect on personnel
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Snow › Decision related to condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,278 hours in all; 104 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 19 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 19, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: unk
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 125 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 22, 2021; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,400 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-F1B5 (piston); 105 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: XLL Allentown PA
- Destination: N27 Towanda PA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 290° at 14 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.93 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from AVP, 23 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KAVP 240054Z 29003KT 10SM CLR 13/M05 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP145 T01281050
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
20 documents, released by the NTSB on February 24, 2023. 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.
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.