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Atlas / NTSB / WPR12CA168

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR12CA168

2012-04-17 Oro Valley, Arizona, United States Airport · 57AZ Minor 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N125AP

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS INC AS350B3

Year of manufacture

2022

TCDS

H9EU · AIRBUS HELICOPTERS

Engine

SAFRAN ARRIEL 2D (952 hp)

Seats / Engines

7 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20221216

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A06653

Registrant of record

AUSTIN POLICE DEPT

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to lower the nose landing gear in time to prevent it from slamming onto the runway and collapsing.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that during the landing on runway 19 he set the rear two wheels down and tried to hold the nose gear up longer than he previously had. As the trike began to slow the nose gear slammed onto the runway and collapsed. After the aircraft slid to a stop in the middle of the runway it tipped over onto its right side, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. The pilot reported the wind at the time of the landing was from 200 degrees at 6 to 8 knots. The pilot reported that during the landing he set the rear two wheels down and tried to hold the nose gear up longer than he previously had. As the trike began to slow, the nose gear slammed onto the runway and collapsed. After the aircraft slid to a stop in the middle of the runway, it tipped over onto its right side, which resulted in substantial damage to the right wing. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action sequence-Pilot - C
  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Landing flare-Incorrect use/operation - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_WPR12CA168.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.