20251022020759A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Eurocopter AS 350 B3 · Wetumpka, AL · October 22, 2025

Date
October 22, 2025 · 16:56 local
Place
Wetumpka, AL
Airport
Wetumpka City Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator
4HYA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N545HF
NTSB investigation
NTSBERA26LA026
Reported as
Eurocopter AS 350 B3
Reported engine
Turbomeca ARRIEL-2B1
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
1,575 total406 in this make and model25 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot was practicing hovering autos with company check airmen on board. Pilot checkride was completed and aircraft returned to base.

This is a delayed report since the damage was not discovered until the aircraft was pre flighted by another pilot the next day.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT WAS PRACTICING HOVERING AUTOS WITH COMPANY CHECK AIRMEN ON BOARD. PILOT CHECKRIDE WAS COMPLETED AND AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO BASE.

THIS IS A DELAYED REPORT SINCE THE DAMAGE WAS NOT DISCOVERED UNTIL THE AIRCRAFT WAS PRE FLIGHTED BY ANOTHER PILOT THE NEXT DAY.

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.