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Atlas / NTSB / WPR25LA093

NTSB CAROL · Event

Event WPR25LA093

2025-02-13 Moab, Utah, United States Airport · CNY None 1 aircraft Status: Completed

Registry · N3WL

FAA Aircraft Registry record.

Make / Model

AIRBUS HELICOPTERS EC 130 T2

Year of manufacture

2023 · 2 years old at event

TCDS

H9EU · AIRBUS HELICOPTERS

Engine

SAFRAN ARRIEL 2D (952 hp)

Seats / Engines

8 seats · 1 engine

Last airworthiness date

20231201

ADS-B equipped

Yes — Mode-S A31C9F

Registrant of record

WELL LIVED MT LLC

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The inflight collision with debris during takeoff.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that shortly after he lifted off from a helipad, a window dislodged from a nearby hangar door and impacted the helicopter’s main rotor blade from behind, which in a loss of lift and an excessive vibration. The pilot initiated an emergency landing and subsequently landed hard. One of the main rotor blades was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures 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).

  • Aircraft-Aircraft propeller/rotor-Main rotor system-Main rotor blade system-Damaged/degraded
  • Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Debris/dirt/foreign object-Effect on operation

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_WPR25LA093.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.