R22 v R44 Midair: 3 Flyers Down, 1 Survivor | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-07.07.25

Airborne-NextGen-07.08.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.09.25

Airborne-FlightTraining-07.10.25

AirborneUnlimited-07.11.25

Fri, Nov 07, 2003

R22 v R44 Midair: 3 Flyers Down, 1 Survivor

This is ANOTHER one of those days when reporting the news is no fun at all. A late afternoon mid-air collision at the Torrance, CA, airport has claimed two lives and severely injured one pilot when a two-seat R22 and a four-seat R44 tangled several hundred feet above Runway 11. As most rotorcraft midairs tend to go, the chances for survival were minimal.

The R44 impacted the runway and burned while the R22 limped a short distance away and went down in a cornfield. The pilot of the R22 was injured but surprisingly reported as a survivor. The impact looked pretty significant, but the injuries are reported to be survivable.

All aboard the R44 were lost.

The accident occurred at 1530 local time, and apparently transpired as one aircraft was departing and another landing. One eyewitness reported to local media outlets that he "heard popping and rattling, then saw the helicopters with their tails connected and bent."

An FAA source reports that both aircraft were between 100 and 200 feet in the air at the point at which they collided.

The witness, Guy Hindenberger, stated that, "We turned around and looked and saw two helicopters that had contacted in mid-air. We could see the tails on both the helicopters seemed to be bent. One went straight down to the tarmac and exploded instantly," while the other went down beyond his sight behind airport buildings.

Torrance Airport is the home of Robinson Helicopter Company and conducts numerous flights each day for testing, demonstration, instruction and general operations. One of the aircraft has been reported to have been involved in conducting business on behalf of Robinson at the time of the accident.

The identity of the pilots and the ownership of the aircraft involved have yet to be ID'ed.

Official Statement of Robinson Helicopter Company

We at Robinson are deeply saddened by our loss. Our thoughts and sympathy go out to the family members and friends of those lost in the accident and the student pilot recovering in the hospital.

It is too early to know the actual details of what lead to the accident. At this time we are cooperating fully with the NTSB and FAA, in addition to conducting our own investigation. We cannot make any speculations concerning the cause of the accident until the NTSB has completed its preliminary investigation.

FMI: www.robinsonheli.com

Advertisement

More News

NTSB Final Report: Aviat A1

Airplane Bounced About 3 Ft Then Touched Back Down And Then, With No Brakes Applied, The Airplane Began Veering To The Left Analysis: The pilot entered the airport traffic pattern >[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Linx (07.08.25)

Aero Linx: British Microlight Aircraft Association (BMAA) The primary focus within all aviation activity is SAFETY. In all aspects of our sport SAFETY must come first, whether it b>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: Fly Corvair’s Reliable Engine Alternative

From SnF25 (YouTube Edition): William Wynne Builds Practical Aircraft Engines on the Corvair Platform Seeking an affordable alternative to the traditional aircraft engine options, >[...]

ANN FAQ: Contributing To Aero-TV

How To Get A Story On Aero-TV News/Feature Programming How do I submit a story idea or lead to Aero-TV? If you would like to submit a story idea or lead, please contact Jim Campbel>[...]

Classic Aero-TV: CiES Fuel-Quantity and e-Throttle Systems Praised

From 2023 (YouTube Edition): Bridge of CiES CiES Inc. is a Bend, Oregon-based designer and manufacturer of modular embedded aircraft systems and sensors. The company’s fuel-l>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2025 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC