Robinson R44 accident near Nuiqsut, Alaska, September 6, 2019
On September 6, 2019 at about 9:50 pm local time, a 2006 Robinson R44 (helicopter), registered N447PA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Nuiqsut, Alaska (Nuiqsut airport). It was an external-load flight under external-load helicopter rules (Part 133). 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 improper decision to land downwind from unsecured debris, which resulted in the helicopter’s main rotor disk ingesting foreign objects.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2019 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- Nuiqsut, Alaska · Nuiqsut · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44 II, built 2006 · all R44s on the register
- Registration
- N447PA · registry record · serial 11197
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- External-load flight · external-load helicopter rules (Part 133)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he landed the helicopter facing south and about 90 ft from where ground personnel were unhooking super sacks filled with gravel. When the skids touched down, the pilot reduced the collective and then saw an empty super sack about 15 ft away, which subsequently struck the main rotor toward the outboard portion of the blade. The super sack was ingested by the advancing side of the main rotor disk. The pilot rolled off the throttle and shut down the engine. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Prop/jet/rotor blast/suction during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Debris/dirt/foreign object › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,215 hours in all; 1,780 in this make and model; 102 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days; 2,149 as pilot in command; 2 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 14, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,038.8 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, August 30, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 (piston); 4,039 hours total
- Operator: Pollux Aviation Ltd
The flight
- Departed from: PASC Deadhorse AK
- Destination: PASC Deadhorse AK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 9:55 pm from PAUN
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 January 3, 2020. 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 | Photo | PDF, 1 page | 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.