SE-JMM

Information

This aircraft was constructed by Robinson Helicopter at Torrance, California, back in 2000. It was imported to Sweden for a private customer in Luleå by the Robinson dealer Helicopter Assistance in October 2000.

The helicopter was registered SE-JMM the same month, and it was privately owned for a year before it was purchased by HeliNorr HB and temporarily leased to Kallax Flyg.

Westhelicopter
The helicopter was sold to Westhelicopter in 2003. SE-JMM became one of the very first R44s to enter commercial utility operations in Sweden, except for the Swedish Robinson dealer's own operations. Initially the R44 was mainly used for reindeer herding, and it was soon accompanied by a second R44 (SE-JLE).

Westhelicopter's R44s are used for a wide range of operations, including reindeer herding, plant setting, census tasks and flight training. They are operated parallel to the company's EC120s and AS350.

On 15 November 2005 SE-JMM was damaged in an emergency landing at Fasnekfjället, southeast of Tärnaby. The helicopter was engaged in a reindeer herding operation when the "Low RPM" warning was activated, which forced the pilot to make an emergency landing. During the subsequent low-rotor-speed landing the tail rotor hit a tree, which caused the tail rotor to separate from the helicopter. The pilot managed to land the rotating aircraft upright, without any injuries to the two people on board. The Swedish Accident Investigation Board found that the accident was caused by a reduced engine power due to faults in the carburettor- and ignition systems. The helicopter was salvaged from the location and it could later be restored to a flying condition.

On 7 July 2012 the helicopter obtained minor damages in an emergency landing in Luleå's archipelago. The aircraft was en-route from Luleå to Kalix when the engine failed and the pilot, who was the sole occupant on board, was forced into an autorotation decent and a subsequent emergency landing. The pilot managed to land in shallow waters next to Brändön Island without further incidents. The aircraft was salvaged by SE-JLF and it was soon restored to a flying condition.

Kallax Flyg
Westhelicopter was purchased by Kallax Flyg in July 2015. At that time Kallaxflyg had a fleet of 10 helicopters and Westhelicopter had 7 helicopters. The two companies had their main offices located only 40 kilometres apart, but they were administered as parallel companies for the first months. SE-JMM was transferred to Kallax Flyg's fleet in January 2016, finalizing the transition into the new company. Westhelicopter was subsequently retired.