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GAA16CA450

2016-08-24 · Peach Springs, Arizona, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport 1G4

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while hover taxiing backward, resulting in the tail striking terrain.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that as the helicopter was in a hover and backed off of the landing pad, the vertical stabilizer impacted rising terrain. The pilot further reported that he was able to land back on the landing pad 30 feet away with no further incident. A post examination of the helicopter revealed that the rear vertical stabilizer had received substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot reported that as the helicopter was in a hover and backed off of the landing pad, the vertical stabilizer impacted rising terrain. The pilot further reported that he was able to land back on the landing pad 30 feet away with no further incident. A post examination of the helicopter revealed that the rear vertical stabilizer had received substantial damage.      The pilot reported that there were no pre impact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot - C
  • C Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-Sloped/uneven terrain-Effect on operation - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2016_GAA16CA450.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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