# Accident 20250816015469A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Cape Girardeau, MO, August 16, 2025

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 16, 2025, 11:27 local time
- Place: Cape Girardeau, MO
- Airport: Cape Girardeau Regional
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Approach
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: FSQJ
- Location: 37.2252° N, 89.5717° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.2252&lon=-89.5717&mi=10
- Aircraft: N24DF, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N24DF) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (registry code 7640122, https://openairdocs.org/model/robinson-helicopter-r44-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5 (registry code 41899, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-ae1a5) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-540-AE1A5
- People aboard: 4
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 2,847 total, 226 in this make and model, 64 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN25LA326](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA326) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250816015469A

## Narrative

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

AIRMAN WAS CONDUCTING AIR TOUR OPERATIONS AT APPROXIMATELY 400 FEET AGL AT 75 KNOTS ON APPROACH TO LANDING WHEN THE AIRCRAFT DEVELOPED ABNORMAL MEDIUM-FREQUENCY VIBRATIONS AND THE ALTERNATOR WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE AIRMAN IMMEDIATELY ENTERED AN AUTOROTATIVE DESCENT AND MANEUVERED TOWARD AN OPEN FIELD. AIRMAN FAILED TO MAINTAIN ROTOR RPM THROUGHOUT THE DECENT RESULTING IN THE LOW ROTOR RPM WARNING ACTIVATING DURING THE DECELATION JUST BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD, AND THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES CONTACTED THE TAIL CONE, SEPARATING IT FROM THE AIRCRAFT.

## 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 CEN25LA326](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA326), Aug 16, 2025: Robinson Helicopter R44 II (N24DF), Cape Girardeau, MO, substantial damage, investigation ongoing

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.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.