# NTSB investigations: Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5: Low altitude operation/event

NTSB aviation accident and incident investigations since 1962: the probable cause, findings, aircraft, crew, weather and docket of each, linked to the FAA registry and the FAA’s own reports.

## Latest cases

- [NTSB CEN26LA256](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA256.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Coralville, IA · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Jul 16, 2026 · N322TC · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line during a low-level aerial application flight.
- [NTSB ERA25LA240](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA240.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Hawesville, KY · Accident · Serious injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Jun 25, 2025 · N144WK · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during low-level agricultural spray operations.
- [NTSB ERA24LA393](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA393.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Ravenel, SC · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Sep 23, 2024 · N153LA · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from terrain, which resulted in the right skid contacting the ground and a subsequent rollover.
- [NTSB CEN24LA252](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN24LA252.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · New Florence, MO · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Jul 4, 2024 · N225AM · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain proper altitude/clearance from a dead tree limb during an aerial application flight.
- [NTSB ERA24LA171](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA24LA171.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · South Kingstown, RI · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Apr 9, 2024 · N331EL · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from the water while maneuvering at low altitude.
- [NTSB WPR24LA092](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR24LA092.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Calexico, CA · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Dec 6, 2023 · N422DX · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from power lines during an aerial application flight.
- [NTSB CEN23LA341](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN23LA341.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Arthur, IL · Accident · Serious injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Jul 31, 2023 · N644ME · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from trees during a low-level aerial application flight.
- [NTSB WPR23LA145](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR23LA145.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Elko, NV · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Apr 1, 2023 · N462BA · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain sufficient altitude and airspeed in gusting tailwind conditions that resulted in an unrecoverable descent and impact with terrain.
- [NTSB CEN22LA350](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN22LA350.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Marshall, MO · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Jul 31, 2022 · N458SG · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to adequately survey a field for obstructions prior to a low-level aerial application pass, which resulted in an impact with a powerline.
- [NTSB CEN22FA288](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN22FA288.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Blackwell, TX · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report · Jun 26, 2022 · N4124D · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain proper altitude and clearance during low-level aerial application, resulting in an in-flight collision with power lines.
- [NTSB CEN21LA349](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA349.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Randolph, WI · Accident · Serious injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Jul 31, 2021 · N285RG · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during a low-level aerial application flight.
- [NTSB CEN21LA339](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA339.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · West Liberty, IA · Accident · Minor injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Jul 20, 2021 · N983HA · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to see and avoid a wire while maneuvering at low altitude during an aerial application flight, resulting in a collision with the wire.
- [NTSB CEN21FA330](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21FA330.md): Robinson R44 · Elgin, MN · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 3 · Field · Final report · Jul 19, 2021 · N44BJ · Destroyed
  > The pilot’s decision to operate the helicopter under powerlines, which resulted in a main rotor blade striking a powerline, causing the helicopter to descend from a low altitude and impact terrain.
- [NTSB CEN21LA077](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA077.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Marietta, TX · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Dec 5, 2020 · N371MP · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to see and avoid a transmission wire during takeoff.
- [NTSB CEN20LA442](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20LA442.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 II · Sterling City, TX · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Mar 12, 2020 · N4386W · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines during an aerial application flight.
- [NTSB CEN20CA085](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN20CA085.md): Robinson R44 · Marfa, TX · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Feb 14, 2020 · N441KA · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a fence during low-altitude maneuvering.
- [NTSB GAA19CA473](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA19CA473.md): Robinson R44 · Fessenden, ND · Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report · Jul 31, 2019 · N3066T · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from wires during an agricultural application flight.
- [NTSB ERA19TA204](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA19TA204.md): Robinson R44 · Parsons, WV · Accident · Serious injuries · Class 3 · Final report · Jun 29, 2019 · N883TY · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's decision to maneuver the helicopter at low altitude over a river, which resulted in a wire strike and subsequent collision with terrain.
- [NTSB GAA19CA110](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA19CA110.md): Robinson R44 · Grace, ID · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Jan 3, 2019 · N4246Z · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power lines.
- [NTSB GAA18CA453](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA18CA453.md): Robinson R44 · Elma, IA · Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report · Jul 27, 2018 · N466EL · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure maintain clearance from power lines during an agricultural application flight.
- [NTSB ANC17LA040](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC17LA040.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 · Solomon, AK · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Aug 3, 2017 · N4138M · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's failure to maintain adequate altitude above water, and his loss of situational awareness, which resulted in an inadvertent descent and collision with water.
- [NTSB GAA17CA401](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA17CA401.md): Robinson Helicopter R44 · Paoli, IN · Accident · No injuries · Data collection · Final report · Jul 7, 2017 · N3203D · Substantial damage
  > The pilot's decision to maneuver an overgross weight helicopter at a low altitude and airspeed with a gusting tailwind, which resulted in a high descent rate and collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's self-induced pressure to…
- [NTSB CEN13FA517](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN13FA517.md): Robinson R44 II · Caballo, NM · Accident · 3 fatal · Field investigation · Final report · Aug 31, 2013 · N3156U · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to see and avoid power lines while maneuvering near the ground because dust stirred up by the rotor wash obscured his visibility.

## The whole list in SQL

Runs in DuckDB 1.2 or later on the release's Parquet files over HTTPS:

```sql
SELECT c."ntsbNumber", c."eventDate", c."eventType", c."eventCity", c."eventStateOrRegion", a.n_number, a."aircraftMake", a."aircraftModel", c."highestInjuryLevel", c."totalFatal", c."completionStatus", c.report_url
FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = c."mKey" AND a.position = 1
WHERE c."mKey" IN (SELECT x.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' x WHERE x.engine_model_code IN ('41899')
    AND EXISTS (SELECT 1 FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' e WHERE e.case_mkey = x.case_mkey AND e.aircrafts_position = x.position AND e."isDefiningEvent" AND e."tier2Number" = '220'))
ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
```

This list as a web page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/220/cases?engine=41899

---
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.