# Accident 20260417003629A: Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, Crosbyton, TX, April 17, 2026

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 17, 2026, 11:45 local time
- Place: Crosbyton, TX
- Airport: N/A
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: N/A
- Location: 33.7700° N, 101.2279° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.7700&lon=-101.2279&mi=10
- Aircraft: N445JS, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N445JS) (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: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 2
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot, student
- Pilot flight hours: 1,023 total, 414 in this make and model, 132 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN26LA168](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA168) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20260417003629A

## Narrative

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

ON APRIL 17, 2026, AT APPROXIMATELY 1145, A ROBINSON R44 HELICOPTER, IMPACTED THE GROUND APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MILES NORTH OF CROSBYTON, TEXAS.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED ON AN AIR TOUR FLIGHT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE, AND THE PILOT SUSTAINED NO INJURIES AND THE TWO PASSENGERS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM A TRAILER ON APRIL 17, 2026, AT APPROXIMATELY 1120.

## 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 CEN26LA168](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA168), Apr 17, 2026: Robinson Helicopter R44 (N445JS), Mount Blanco, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain proper main rotor rpm during a low-level turn, which resulted in the main rotor rpm drooping, a loss of control at an altitude too low for recovery, and a subsequent…

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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