NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR25LA203
Registry · N715SG
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
ROBINSON HELICOPTER R44
Year of manufacture
2002 · 23 years old at event
TCDS
H11NM · ROBINSON HELICOPTER CO
Engine
LYCOMING 0-540F1 SERIE (260 hp)
Seats / Engines
4 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20020814
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A99037
Registrant of record
SILVER SKY HELICOPTERS LLC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain rotor rpm during an approach to landing in a mountainous area, which resulted in a collision with terrain.
Factual narrative
The pilot of a helicopter reported that, after performing a series of reconnaissance passes, followed by an out of ground effect hover power check, he decided to fly an approach to a mountain meadow. During the approach to landing, the pilot slowed the descent rate and realized the rotor rpm had decayed rapidly. The pilot lowered the collective and applied forward cyclic to increase airspeed to regain rotor rpm but was unable to recover. He then lowered the collective to enter an autorotation. Upon touchdown, the tail skid struck the ground, the helicopter pitched forward, and the main rotor impacted terrain. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tailboom and the horizontal and vertical stabilizers. The pilot reported no mechanical issues with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operations. 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-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- — Aircraft-Aircraft propeller/rotor-Main rotor system-Main rotor blade system-Capability exceeded
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2025_WPR25LA203.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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