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Tail rotor

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NTSB finding section · Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor

All 54 cases46 in the probable cause
Cases
54
In the probable cause
46 (85%)
Fatal cases
9
NTSB code
010464

NTSB has coded findings and defining events since 2008. Earlier cases used its older occurrence and cause codes, so they aren’t counted here.

When and where

In green, cases where NTSB made it part of the probable cause; in gray, a factor or other finding. Findings are coded with the final report, often a year or more after the event, so the latest years are incomplete.

Cases per year

2008In the probable causeFactor only2026

Where

Open the map
Query with SQL
duckdb -csv -c "SELECT year(c.\"eventDate\") AS year, count(DISTINCT f.case_mkey) AS cases,
    count(DISTINCT f.case_mkey) FILTER (WHERE f.\"inProbableCause\") AS in_probable_cause
  FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_findings.parquet' f JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c ON c.\"mKey\" = f.case_mkey
  WHERE starts_with(f.\"findingCode\", '010464') AND c.\"eventDate\" >= DATE '2000-01-01'
  GROUP BY 1
  ORDER BY 1"

Prints the counts as CSV. It reads the release’s Parquet files over HTTPS, so there’s nothing to download first. Install DuckDB to run it.

Subsections · 3

Query with SQL
duckdb -csv -c "SELECT left(f.\"findingCode\", 8) AS code, max(f.\"tier4Name\") AS name,
    count(DISTINCT f.case_mkey) AS cases,
    count(DISTINCT f.case_mkey) FILTER (WHERE f.\"inProbableCause\") AS in_probable_cause
  FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_findings.parquet' f
  WHERE starts_with(f.\"findingCode\", '010464') AND f.\"findingCode\" GLOB '[0-9][0-9]*'
  GROUP BY 1
  ORDER BY cases DESC, code"

Prints the counts as CSV. It reads the release’s Parquet files over HTTPS, so there’s nothing to download first. Install DuckDB to run it.

In the same cases

Defining events
Aircraft models

Aircraft matched to the registry by N-number and date.

Other findings
Query with SQL
duckdb -csv -c "WITH matched AS (SELECT DISTINCT case_mkey, aircrafts_position FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_findings.parquet' WHERE starts_with(\"findingCode\", '010464'))
  SELECT * FROM (
  SELECT 'Defining event' AS kind, e.\"tier2Number\" AS code, max(e.\"eventTier2Name\") AS name, count(DISTINCT f.case_mkey) AS cases
  FROM matched f JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' e ON e.case_mkey = f.case_mkey AND e.aircrafts_position = f.aircrafts_position AND e.\"isDefiningEvent\"
  WHERE e.\"tier2Number\" <> ''
  GROUP BY ALL
  UNION ALL
  SELECT 'Aircraft model', a.aircraft_model_code, any_value(concat_ws(' ', m.manufacturer, m.model)), count(DISTINCT f.case_mkey)
  FROM matched f JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = f.case_mkey AND a.position = f.aircrafts_position
  LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/faa_aircraft_model.parquet' m ON m.code = a.aircraft_model_code
  WHERE a.aircraft_model_code IS NOT NULL
  GROUP BY ALL
  UNION ALL
  SELECT 'Other finding', left(g.\"findingCode\", 8), max(g.\"tier4Name\"), count(DISTINCT g.case_mkey)
  FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_findings.parquet' g
  WHERE g.case_mkey IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM matched) AND NOT starts_with(g.\"findingCode\", '010464') AND g.\"findingCode\" GLOB '[0-9][0-9]*'
  GROUP BY ALL
  )
  QUALIFY row_number() OVER (PARTITION BY kind ORDER BY cases DESC) <= 10
  ORDER BY kind, cases DESC"

Prints the counts as CSV. It reads the release’s Parquet files over HTTPS, so there’s nothing to download first. Install DuckDB to run it.

Newest cases · 54

NTSB WPR26LA062Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportBell 407 · Las Vegas, NVTail rotor blade impact from an unidentified object at an undetermined time.Dec 15, 2025 · N404LL · Substantial damageNTSB CEN25LA013Accident · Minor injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportRotorway Exec · Plymouth, INA loss of control due to the failed forward tail rotor belt as a result of the owner’s failure to follow the helicopter manufacturer’s tail rotor belt replacement recommendations.Oct 11, 2024 · N314AC · Substantial damageNTSB WPR24LA243Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportMcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E · Cottonwood, AZThe pilot’s low-speed, high-power maneuvering in high density altitude and near maximum gross weight, which resulted in an uncommanded right yaw due to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness and a subsequent hard landing.Jul 13, 2024 · N473E · Substantial damageNTSB ANC24LA013Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportRobinson Helicopter R44 II · Glacier View, AKA sudden stoppage of the tail rotor for unknown reasons, which resulted in the tortional overload failure of the tail rotor driveshaft.Feb 11, 2024 · N74868 · Substantial damageNTSB ERA23LA369Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportEurocopter Deutschland EC135T2 · Fargo, GAThe separation of the outer span of a tail rotor blade during flight as a result of localized intergranular corrosion due to a diminished protective coating at a critical location on the tail rotor blade surface that, combined with cyclic loading, resulted in…Sep 13, 2023 · N273AM · Substantial damageNTSB CEN23LA385Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportBell Helicopter Textron Canada 206 · Hibbing, MNThe ground crew’s failure to secure the backpack at the landing zone (LZ), that resulted in the tail rotor impacting the backpack during the landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s inadequate selection of an area at the LZ, the lack of awareness…Aug 27, 2023 · N19BH · Substantial damageNTSB ERA22LA340Accident · Minor injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportRobinson Helicopter R22 Mariner · Hollywood, FLInadequate maintenance of the helicopter’s tail rotor blades, which resulted in a failure of the tail rotor drive system, and an inflight loss of yaw control from which the flight instructor was unable to recover.Jul 27, 2022 · N42WC · Substantial damageNTSB CEN22LA328Accident · No injuriesClass 4 · LimitedFinal reportEurocopter Deutschland EC 135 · Mount Vernon, ILThe inadequate securement of the cloth fire extinguisher cover, which resulted in it being blown off the fire extinguisher and ingested into the helicopter’s fenestron during the landing.Jul 20, 2022 · N228MT · Substantial damageNTSB CEN22LA258Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportEurocopter Deutschland EC 135 P2+ · Waukesha, WIThe separation and subsequent ingestion of the fenestron fairing cover into the fenestron blades for undetermined reasons.Jun 18, 2022 · N226SA · Substantial damageNTSB WPR22LA221Accident · No injuriesClass 3 · LimitedFinal reportBell 206B · Stockton, CATail rotor blade impact with an unidentified object, which resulted in the loss of control and subsequent rollover of the helicopter.Jun 17, 2022 · N90326 · Substantial damage
See all 54 cases
Query with SQL
duckdb -csv -c "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 f.case_mkey FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_findings.parquet' f WHERE starts_with(f.\"findingCode\", '010464'))
  ORDER BY c.\"eventDate\" DESC, c.\"ntsbNumber\" DESC"

Prints the whole list as CSV. It reads the release’s Parquet files over HTTPS, so there’s nothing to download first. Install DuckDB to run it.