20251213021439A

On 13 dec 2025, the pilot and passenger were scheduled to depart the leona vista ranch, located in Dilley, TX. The pilot and passenger both reported the weather as being foggy that morning so they decided to delay the departure until the weather forecast showed the ceilings and visibility had improved for a safe departure from the ranch and the flight along the route to their destination. At approximately 13:45 pm, the pilot picked up from where the helicopter was parked and continued climbing while slowly nosing forward to gain airspeed as he prepared to transition from a high hover to forward flight. At approximately 70-75 feet AGL, the pilot and passenger both reported hearing a loud pop that seemed to come from up and to the left of the pilot's seat. At that point, the pilot began to try and steer the helicopter to the right in an attempt to return to the previous parking location. The pilot stated that as he began to try and turn to the right, he felt a vibration develop in the helicopter cyclic control while also realizing he was unable to maintain a stable attitude in any direction. The pilot described the motion of the helicopter as having an uncontrollable nose up and down pitch. The pilot had no further memory of the events of the crash as he was coming into and out of consciousness after impact. The passenger stated that the helicopter impacted hard on it's skids and then came to rest after it rolled over on it's left side. The passenger also stated that he was suspended in the air in his seat after the crash. He unbuckled himself and fell on the pilot below him. The passenger then exited the aircraft and removed the pilot from the wreckage and called for help.