Robinson R44 II accident near Fenner, New York, January 15, 2008
On January 15, 2008 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Robinson R44 II (helicopter), registered N122AA, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Fenner, New York (Syracuse International Airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's delayed decision to perform a precautionary landing. Contributing to the accident was the reduced visibility in snow and the soft terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 15, 2008 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Fenner, New York · Syracuse International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Robinson R44 II · all R44 IIs on the register
- Registration
- N122AA · registry record · serial 11228
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot of the Robinson R44 II was on the final leg of a visual flight rules (VFR) flight when, about 18 miles from the destination airport, he obtained a special VFR clearance from the approach controller due to snow showers in the area. The clearance was later canceled by the controller due to "saturation," and the pilot was told not to enter the area, which was several miles ahead. The pilot then turned the helicopter around and entered a "near zero/zero whiteout," but during the "tight" turn the attitude indicator "tumbled." The pilot then elected to perform a precautionary landing to a plowed field below. As the helicopter contacted the ground, the skids sunk into the soft terrain, and the aft portion of the tailboom and the skids separated from the fuselage. The weather reported at the destination airport at the time of the accident included 1 1/2 statute miles visibility in light snow and mist.
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
- Other weather encounter during enroute (cruise)
- Emergency descent initiated during enroute (cruise)
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Roll over during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Ceiling/visibility/precip › Snow › Not specified
- factor Environmental issues › Physical environment › Terrain › Wet/muddy › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 27,000 hours in all; 2,030 in this make and model; 25,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 455 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, November 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Adkins Aviation
The flight
- Departed from: N66 Oneonta NY at 4:00 pm
- Destination: SYR Syracuse NY
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.80 inHg
- Observation at 12:15 pm from SYR, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC08CA083.