The NTSB says 27-year old Wyatt Zane Rodgers shouldn't have been
flying VFR on June 27th. That's when Rodgers and two passengers,
Kendall and Kelly Loudermilk, were killed when Rodgers' R-44 (file
photo of type, below) went down near Barnesville (GA).
Why shouldn't Rodgers have been flying? The NTSB reports he was
briefed that the weather was IMC, yet he launched VFR anyway. In
its preliminary report, the NTSB wrote:
On June 27, 2004 at 0530 eastern daylight time a Robinson
Helicopter R44, N441MG, registered to and operated by MG Aviation,
collided with trees during a cross-country flight in a residential
area in Barnesville, Georgia. The personal flight was operated
under provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91. Instrument meteorological
conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan
was filed. The helicopter sustained substantial damage. The
certified flight instructor, and two passengers were fatally
injured. The flight originated from Greenville-Spartanburg
International Airport, Greer, South Carolina, on June 27, 2004
approximately 0300.
According to a witness, at 0530 a helicopter was heard over the
residential area in Barnesville, Georgia. Shortly afterward, an
explosion was heard. When witnesses searched the area, a helicopter
was found engulfed in flames. Efforts by the witnesses extinguish
the flames were unsuccessful. No radio communication was received
from the pilot prior to the accident.
Examination of the wreckage site revealed the helicopter came to
rest approximately 25 yards behind a residential home. The wreckage
path was approximately 35 feet in length on a northerly heading.
Freshly cut trees were along the wreckage path. The helicopter came
to rest at the base of a tree and the main fuselage was fire
damaged. The tail boom section was broken, and buckled. The main
rotor blades were buckled and separated from the main rotor mass.
The tail rotor shaft was separated from the tail boom and lodge in
a tree. The tail rotor gearbox was separated and the tail rotor
blades were broken. The landing skids were broken and separated
from the fuselage. Additional helicopter wreckage debris was found
forward of the main wreckage.
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