ELGIN, Minn. – In 23 his years with the Wabasha County sheriff’s office, Chief Deputy Jim Warren has seen only two helicopter crashes “Some accidents you would think would happen more often because of the dangerousness of the job, but you know these pilots are very skilled,” Warren told television station KTTC reporter at a crop-dusting helicopter crash near Elgin.. ’These accidents are still going happen no matter how skilled of a pilot you’re going be. ” What caused the helicopter to hit power lines and crash was not immediately clear. The National Transportation Safety Board confirmed that an inspector was being dispatched to the scene. The R-44 generally has a good but no unblemished safety record:
> Australia: The Australian Transport Safety Board found in 2013 that an usual high 12% of R-44’s caught fire after crashing. The equivalent U.S. agency found 15%. The manufacturer, Robinson Helicopter Company, began retrofitting the original R-44 aluminum fuel tanks with bladder-type tanks.
> New Zealand: The New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority grounded R-44s in 2015 after wo rotor failures in flight. Lab tests confirmed the blades had been overloaded. The agency ordered frequent inspections of rotors.
Earlier: Pilot in helicopter crash held multiple FAA licenses
Notable about R-44
Aviatrix. Jennifer Murray chose R-44 to circumnavigate the globe in 2997. She was the first woman pilot to do so. She covered 36,000 miles in 97 days.
R-44 speed
An R-44 holds the piston speed record of 142 mph for a piston helicopter. Typical cruising is 125 mph.