Encino, TX, USA
N122CH
ROBINSON HELICOPTER R22 BETA
Same as Factual Information
The purpose of the flight was to capture a bull with a net gun. While the pilot was maneuvering at low altitude, the gunner fired the net at a bull. The net deployed and ensnared the helicopter's skid and the bull. The bull continued to run, dragging the helicopter down, which resulted in the helicopter's collision with terrain. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, main rotor, and tailboom, and the pilot and gunner sustained minor injuries. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
The gunner's failure to ensure that the net would not ensnare the helicopter's skids once deployed, which resulted in the pilot being unable to maintain helicopter control as the bull pulled on the net and subsequent impact with terrain.
Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database
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