| Crash location | 30.408056°N, 97.876389°W
Reported location is a long distance from the NTSB's reported nearest city. This often means that the location has a typo, or is incorrect. |
| Nearest city | Austin, TX
30.267153°N, 97.743061°W 12.6 miles away |
| Tail number | N74546 |
|---|---|
| Accident date | 04 Jul 2010 |
| Aircraft type | Robinson Helicopter Company R44 Ii |
| Additional details: | None |
The helicopter had just departed a private heli-pad when the pilot's door opened. The pilot stated he became distracted trying to close the door and hit some trees and had a hard landing. Examination of the helicopter showed some of the main rotor blades were bent and separated, and the fuselage was bent. The pilot stated there was nothing wrong with the helicopter prior to impact.
The pilot's failure to maintain directional control of the helicopter, resulting in impact with trees. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to ensure the door was properly secured prior to flight.