Robinson R44 Ii crash near Blanco, TX, United States

HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn October 11, 2012, about 1958 central daylight time, a Robinson Helicopter Company model R44 II, N474FA, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain during cruise flight near Blanco, Texas. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated by Veracity Aviation LLC, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 without a flight plan. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Gillespie County Airport (T82), Fredericksburg, Texas, about 1942, and was en route to Huber Airpark Civic Club LLC Airport (E70), Seguin, Texas. According to recovered GPS data, the roundtrip cross-country flight, from the operator's home base at E70, located in Seguin, Texas, to Midland International Airport (MAF), in Midland, Texas, originally departed at 1241. The helicopter landed at MAF about 1503. According to fueling documentation, the accident helicopter was fueled with 37.7 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation fuel before the return flight. The return flight departed MAF at 1735 and landed at T82 to refuel about 1936. There were no witnesses to the helicopter arriving at T82 nor while it was being refueled at the self-serve fueling stations. According to fueling documentation, at 1936, the accident helicopter was fueled with 15.92 gallons of 100 low-lead aviation fuel. According to GPS data, the flight departed T82 at 1942. A witness, who was also a helicopter pilot, reported seeing a Robinson R44 helicopter depart toward the southeast; however, due to the dark night conditions he was unable to discern the helicopter's registration number or paint color. He noted that the helicopter had departed from the self-service fueling station near the main airport building. The plotted GPS data indicated that the flight proceeded on a southeast course toward the intended destination (E70). According to the data, the helicopter maintained an average ground speed of about 80 knots while in cruise flight. At 1956:50 (hhmm:ss), the helicopter entered a descending left turn from a southeast course to an east-northeast course. The helicopter was at 2,517 feet GPS altitude, about 610 feet above ground level, and had a ground speed of 72 knots when it entered the descending left turn. At 1957:19, the recorded GPS altitude was 2,396 feet, about 500 feet above ground level, and the helicopter's ground speed was 73 knots. The helicopter then began to climb on a northeast heading. The GPS data indicated that, during the climb, the helicopter's ground speed decreased from 73 knots to 27 knots. The final GPS data point associated with the accident flight was recorded at 1957:49 and a GPS altitude of 2,643 feet, about 800 feet above the terrain, with a ground speed of 27 knots. The final data point was located about 0.2 miles north-northwest of the accident site. At 2006, the United States Air Force Rescue Coordination Center (AFRCC), located at Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, received a 406 MHz emergency locator transmitter (ELT) signal assigned to the accident helicopter. About 18 minutes later, the AFRCC was received their first of several triangulated positions for the active ELT signal. The accident site was subsequently located, with the assistance of airborne and ground units, at 0824 the morning following the accident. The wreckage was located in a sparsely populated area that was comprised of hilly terrain. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONAccording to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot, age 35, held a commercial pilot certificate with helicopter and instrument helicopter ratings. He also held a flight instructor certificate with helicopter and instrument helicopter ratings. His last aviation medical examination was completed on March 31, 2011, when he was issued a second-class medical certificate without limitations. The pilot's flight history was reconstructed using a partially completed pilot logbook, a spreadsheet flight history that was provided by the pilot's employer, and GPS flight data that was recorded on the day of the accident. A review of the pilot's flight logbook revealed that his last recorded flight was completed on May 24, 2012. At that time, he had accumulated 1,410.9 hours total flight experience, of which 1,348.1 hours were listed as pilot-in-command. All of his logged flight time had been completed in helicopters. He had accumulated 63.6 hours in simulated instrument conditions and 109.5 hours at night. According the spreadsheet flight history, the pilot had flown an additional 111.7 hours since his final logbook entry. According to recovered GPS data, the pilot had flown 4.7 hours on the day of the accident. The pilot's total flight experience was estimated to be about 1,527.3 hours, of which 543.7 hours were completed in the same make/model as the accident helicopter. He had accumulated 1,464.5 hours as pilot-in-command and 644.4 hours as a flight instructor. He had accumulated 422.6 hours during the past year, 149.4 hours during the prior 6 months, 95.0 hours during previous 90 days, and 27.4 hours in the last 30 days. The pilot had flown 5.6 hours within the 24 hour period before the accident. The pilot's employer, Veracity Aviation LLC, provided flight instruction, local air tours, on-demand air taxi services, and external load operations. The accident pilot was employed as a flight instructor and assistant chief pilot for their 14 CFR Part 141 flight school. According to FAA documentation, on November 7, 2011, the pilot demonstrated the skill and knowledge to operate as pilot-in-command for external-load helicopter operations. On November 8, 2011, the pilot passed a FAA regulatory checkride to become an assistant chief pilot for the 14 CFR Part 141 flight school. The pilot was not authorized to act as pilot-in-command for Veracity Aviation LLC's on-demand air taxi service under 14 CFR Part 135. On March 15, 2012, the pilot received a letter from the FAA Aerospace Medical Certification Division informing him that he was not eligible to hold any class of medical certificate because of multiple alcohol related offenses. The pilot had two arrests that were associated with driving while intoxicated (DWI). The first arrest, dated October 16, 2004, resulted in a DWI conviction. The second arrest, dated November 18, 2011, was not prosecuted by the State of Texas as a DWI offense. On March 19, 2012, the pilot replied to the FAA letter, stating that he intended to work with the FAA to regain his eligibility to hold a medical certificate. The pilot also wrote that he had included his current medical certificate with the correspondence; however, FAA documentation indicated that the pilot had not included his medical certificate with his response. On March 27, 2012, the FAA replied to the pilot in the form of another letter that identified the specific regulations by which his eligibility to hold a medical had been revoked. The FAA response also detailed what documentation was required to be sent to the Aerospace Medical Certification Division for additional review before his eligibility could be reconsidered. On June 25, 2012, the pilot replied to the FAA in the form of another letter in which he described the circumstances of both alcohol related driving arrests. He wrote that he continued to provide "ground instruction" to his former students. Additionally, the pilot wrote that the State of Texas had declined to prosecute the November 2011 arrest for the charge of driving while intoxicated; however, he had pleaded not-guilty to the charges of speeding and being in possession of an open alcoholic beverage while operating a motor vehicle. On October 9, 2012, the FAA sent another letter to the pilot that reiterated his ineligibility to hold a medical certificate until all of the previously requested documentation had been received and reviewed by the Aerospace Medical Certification Division. (The pilot had not received the latest correspo