# Accident 20250325007519A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Hobbs, NM, March 25, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: March 25, 2025, 15:00 local time
- Place: Hobbs, NM
- Airport: Lea County Regional
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Hover/Holding
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.6873° N, 103.2175° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.6873&lon=-103.2175&mi=10
- Aircraft: N7530U, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N7530U) (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: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 1
- Pilot certificates: Student
- Pilot flight hours: 91 total, 34 in this make and model, 30 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB WPR25LA118](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA118) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250325007519A

## Narrative

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

ON MARCH 25, 2025, A ROBINSON R-44, WHILE ATTEMPTING TO HOVER TAXI, ENCOUNTERED A DYNAMIC ROLLOVER AND IMPACTED TERRAIN.  THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED ON A PERSONAL FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM LEA COUNTY REGIONAL, HOBBS, NM AT 1500 MDT.

## 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 WPR25LA118](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA118), Mar 25, 2025: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N7530U), Hobbs, NM, substantial damage. Probable cause: The student pilot’s loss of directional control during a hover, which resulted in an impact with terrain.

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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