# NTSB investigations, 2025: Emergency descent

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 GAA26WA016](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA26WA016.md): Robinson R44 · Bentley, United Kingdom · Accident · 1 fatal · Class 5 · Foreign · Oct 30, 2025 · G-CFNF · Destroyed
- [NTSB ERA26LA026](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA26LA026.md): Eurocopter AS350 · Wetumpka, AL · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Oct 23, 2025 · N545HF · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s improper recovery from a practice autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the flight instructor’s inadequate supervision of the pilot receiving instruction.
- [NTSB CEN26LA027](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN26LA027.md): Robinson Helicopter R22 · Springfield, MO · Accident · Serious injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Oct 21, 2025 · N74583 · Substantial damage
  > The pilot’s failure to maintain directional control and the flight instructor’s lack of proper remedial action during the practice autorotation that resulted in the helicopter impacting terrain. Contributing to the accident was the presence of the gusting…
- [NTSB GAA26WA023](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA26WA023.md): Guimbal Cabri · Locarno, Switzerland · Accident · No injuries · Class 5 · Foreign · Oct 18, 2025 · HB-ZYZ · No damage
- [NTSB CEN25LA380](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA380.md): Bell 407 · Decatur, TX · Accident · Minor injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Sep 16, 2025 · N407WA · Substantial damage
  > The instructor candidate’s erroneous operation of the throttle during an autorotation from altitude with power recovery, which resulted in a hard landing.
- [NTSB CEN25LA381](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA381.md): Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 505 · Fort Worth, TX · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Aug 27, 2025 · N505GR · Substantial damage
  > The manufacturer flight instructor’s failure to maintain proper airspeed and a proper descent rate during a demonstrated hover out of ground effect (HOGE) autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the manufacturer flight…
- [NTSB CEN25LA408](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN25LA408.md): Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-3 · Picayune, MS · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report · Aug 22, 2025 · N17TL · Substantial damage
  > On August 22, 2025, about 1130 central daylight time, a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-3 helicopter, N17TL, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Picayune, Mississippi. The pilot and passenger were not injured. The helicopter…
- [NTSB GAA25WA242](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA25WA242.md): MD Helicopters 600N · Storrington, United Kingdom · Accident · No injuries · Class 5 · Foreign · Aug 15, 2025 · N600MW · Substantial damage
- [NTSB ERA25LA254](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25LA254.md): Cessna 208 · Monroe, NJ · Accident · Serious injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report · Jul 2, 2025 · N716MM · Substantial damage
  > On July 2, 2025, about 1729 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 208B, N716MM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Monroe, New Jersey. The two commercial pilots and 10 passengers were seriously injured, while three passengers…
- [NTSB WPR25LA189](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA189.md): American Eurocopter AS350B3 · San Luis, AZ · Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report · Jun 25, 2025 · N3951A · Substantial damage
  > The pilot receiving instruction’s failure to properly recover the helicopter during an autorotative landing and the instructor pilot’s failure to intervene, which resulted in a hard landing.
- [NTSB WPR25LA163](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA163.md): Rans S20 · Fairfield, UT · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Preliminary report · May 27, 2025 · N327KM · Substantial damage
  > On May 27, 2025, about 1330 mountain daylight time, an experimental amateur-built RANS S20 Raven, N327KM, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fairfield, Utah. The pilot was not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14…
- [NTSB WPR25LA101](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA101.md): Hughes OH-6A · Santa Teresa, NM · Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report · Feb 22, 2025 · N4191T · Substantial damage
  > The flight instructor's failure to maintain helicopter control during a practice autorotation, which resulted in a hard landing and structural damage to the tail boom and subsequent failure of the tail rotor drive system.

## The whole list in SQL

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

```sql
WITH phase_names(main, name) AS (VALUES (100, 'Prior to flight'), (150, 'Standing'), (200, 'Pushback/towing'), (250, 'Taxi'), (300, 'Takeoff'), (350, 'Initial climb'), (400, 'Enroute'), (450, 'Maneuvering'), (500, 'Approach'), (550, 'Landing'), (600, 'Emergency descent'), (650, 'Uncontrolled descent'), (700, 'Post-impact'), (750, 'After landing'), (800, 'Other'), (990, 'Unknown')),
  crosswalk(code, main, name) AS (VALUES (500, 150, 'Standing'), (501, 150, 'Standing - pre-flight'), (502, 150, 'Standing - starting engine(s)'), (503, 150, 'Standing - engine(s) operating'), (504, 150, 'Standing - engine(s) not operating'), (505, 150, 'Standing - idling rotors'), (510, 250, 'Taxi'), (511, 200, 'Taxi - pushback/tow'), (512, 250, 'Taxi - to takeoff'), (513, 250, 'Taxi - from landing'), (514, 250, 'Taxi - aerial'), (520, 300, 'Takeoff'), (521, 300, 'Takeoff - roll/run'), (522, 350, 'Takeoff - initial climb'), (523, 300, 'Takeoff - aborted'), (530, 400, 'Climb'), (531, 400, 'Climb - to cruise'), (540, 400, 'Cruise'), (541, 400, 'Cruise - normal'), (542, 400, 'Maneuvering - holding (IFR)'), (550, 400, 'Descent'), (551, 400, 'Descent - normal'), (552, 600, 'Descent - emergency'), (553, 650, 'Descent - uncontrolled'), (560, 500, 'Approach'), (561, 500, 'Approach - VFR pattern - downwind'), (562, 500, 'Approach - VFR pattern - base turn'), (563, 500, 'Approach - VFR pattern - base leg/base to final'), (564, 500, 'Approach - VFR pattern - final approach'), (565, 500, 'Go-around (VFR)'), (566, 500, 'Approach - IAF to FAF/outer marker (IFR)'), (567, 500, 'Approach - FAF/outer marker to threshold (IFR)'), (568, 500, 'Circling (IFR)'), (569, 500, 'Missed approach (IFR)'), (570, 550, 'Landing'), (571, 550, 'Landing - flare/touchdown'), (572, 550, 'Landing - roll'), (573, 550, 'Landing - aborted'), (574, 550, 'Emergency landing'), (575, 550, 'Emergency landing after takeoff'), (576, 600, 'Emergency descent/landing'), (580, 450, 'Maneuvering'), (581, 450, 'Maneuvering - aerial application'), (582, 450, 'Maneuvering - turn to reverse direction'), (583, 450, 'Maneuvering - turn to landing area (emergency)'), (590, 450, 'Hover'), (591, 450, 'Hover - in ground effect'), (592, 450, 'Hover - out of ground effect'), (600, 800, 'Other'), (610, 990, 'Unknown')),
  current_codes AS (
    SELECT e.case_mkey, TRY_CAST(e."tier1Number" AS INTEGER) AS code,
      row_number() OVER (PARTITION BY e.case_mkey ORDER BY coalesce(e."isDefiningEvent", false) DESC, e.position) AS n
    FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_events.parquet' e
    WHERE e.aircrafts_position = 1 AND e."tier1Number" GLOB '[1-9][0-9]*'
      AND (e."isDefiningEvent" OR e.case_mkey IN (SELECT "mKey" FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' WHERE "isPre1982"))
  ),
  phases AS (
    SELECT case_mkey, 'current' AS scheme, code, CASE WHEN code >= 990 THEN 990 ELSE code // 50 * 50 END AS main
    FROM current_codes WHERE n = 1
    UNION ALL
    SELECT o.case_mkey, 'older', o."phaseOfFlightCode", w.main
    FROM 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_occurrences.parquet' o JOIN crosswalk w ON w.code = o."phaseOfFlightCode"
    WHERE o.aircrafts_position = 1 AND o."occurrenceNumber" = 1 AND o.case_mkey NOT IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM current_codes)
  ),
  case_phases AS (
    SELECT p.*, c."eventDate", c."highestInjuryLevel" = 'Fatal' AS fatal, a.aircraft_model_code
    FROM phases p JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_case_detail.parquet' c ON c."mKey" = p.case_mkey
    LEFT JOIN 'https://openairdocs.org/data/latest/ntsb_aircrafts.parquet' a ON a.case_mkey = p.case_mkey AND a.position = 1
    WHERE c."eventDate" >= DATE '1962-01-01' AND p.main IN (SELECT main FROM phase_names)
  )
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 year(c."eventDate") = 2025
  AND c."mKey" IN (SELECT case_mkey FROM case_phases WHERE main = 600)
ORDER BY c."eventDate" DESC, c."ntsbNumber" DESC
```

This list as a web page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/600/cases?year=2025

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