NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR22LA305
Registry · N500AR
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
HUGHES HELICOPTERS INC 369E
TCDS
H3WE · MD HELICOPTERS INC (MDHI)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A63A00
Registrant of record
HELICOPTER ROUNDUP SERVICE LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering at a low altitude.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, he was using a helicopter to drive horses and misjudged his height above the terrain when a horse unexpectedly turned toward him. He pulled back on the cyclic, the tail rotor struck the terrain, and the helicopter immediately started a yaw to the right. The pilot rolled the throttle off to slow the turn and cushioned the landing by adding collective. Once outside the helicopter the pilot noticed that the tail rotor driveshaft had sustained substantial damage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. 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).
- — Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring environment-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not attained/maintained
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Terrain-(general)-Effect on operation
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2022_WPR22LA305.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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