# Accident 20250108000259A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Buras, LA, January 8, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 8, 2025, 12:43 local time
- Place: Buras, LA
- Airport: Matidora
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 29.3509° N, 89.5236° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.3509&lon=-89.5236&mi=10
- Aircraft: N430JM, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N430JM-2025-03-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (registry code 7640122, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540 SER
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Private pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 3,000 total, 53 in this make and model, 15 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN25LA073](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA073) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250108000259A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AFTER A BRIEF FLIGHT, THE HELICOPTER CAME BACK TO THE RUNWAY AND ENTERED A HOVER TO LAND. THE WINDS WERE GUSTY AND WHILE ATTEMPTING A RIGHT PEDDLE TURN TO TAXI DOWN THE RUNWAY, A GUST OF WIND CAUGHT THE TAIL ROTOR CAUSING THE HELICOPTER TO ENTER A LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS (LTE). ONCE IN LTE, THE HELICOPTER CONTROL WAS LOST, CAUSING THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES TO CONTACT THE GROUND SHEARING OFF BOTH BLADES, RESULTING IN A SPIN TO THE LEFT SEVERAL TIMES AND IMPACTED THE RUNWAY IN AN UPRIGHT CONDITION. THE IMPACT CAUSED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE HELICOPTER, BROKEN NOSE TO PASSENGER AND FRACTURED BACK FOR THE PILOT. BOTH PERSONNEL EXITED THE HELICOPTER THROUGH THE BROKEN-OUT WINDSCREEN ON THE PILOT SIDE OF THE HELICOPTER.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB CEN25LA073](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA073), Jan 8, 2025: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N430JM), Buras, LA, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain control during a hover taxi with a quartering tailwind.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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