The NTSB has released the final report on the fatal crash of a Robinson R44 on Nov. 22, 2022, and the probable cause for the accident was “the inadequate inspections of the forward left control rod end attachment hardware to the stationary swashplate by the pilot and by maintenance personnel, resulting in an eventual loosening and backing out of the hardware and subsequent loss of helicopter control.”
About five minutes before the accident, a local staff meteorologist and the R44’s pilot took off for simulated news scene training in Charlotte, North Carolina. After conducting left 360-degree orbits over a highway, the helicopter went out of control, descended steeply, then crashed onto a grassy area. According to the NTSB, “The pilot made a radio call on the local helicopter common frequency before impact stating that ‘Three’s going down, Sky Three’s going down.’ There was no post-accident fire.”
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