- Date
- August 9, 2026, 11:35 local (16:35 UTC)
- Place
- Macedonia, IA
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N197HLRobinson Helicopter R44
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Collision during takeoff/land
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260809012429A
- Case key
- 203570
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N197HL
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1386
- Built
- 2004
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Cedar Ridge Aviation, LLC
- Registered owner
- Cedar Ridge Aviation, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Destination
- Same as departure
N197HLRegistered now · Robinson Helicopter R44Airframe modelRobinson Helicopter R44Engine modelLycoming O-540-F1B5
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.83 inHg
- Observed at
- KRDK, 6 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KRDK 091556Z AUTO 19011KT 10SM CLR 29/24 A2983 RMK AO2
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.