- Date
- July 4, 2025, 11:30 local (16:30 UTC)
- Place
- Pecos, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N992TPRobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-hover: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 9, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration, Lubbock FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250704009429A
- Case key
- 200475
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain aircraft control during gusty wind conditions.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
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.
Analysis
The student helicopter pilot stated that during a personal flight, he and a pilot departed the airport, flew to a ranch and returned. The pilot did not hold a flight instructor certificate. Upon return, they flew to the airport fuel facility to obtain fuel. A witness stated that the student pilot told him he was manipulating the flight controls at the time of the accident during a hover taxi and due to gusty wind conditions and not being comfortable, he transferred the flight controls to the pilot. The student pilot stated as the helicopter nearly touched down in front of the fuel facility, a big gust of wind, presumably a whirlwind, shot the helicopter straight up about 20-25 ft, and the helicopter did a quick 360° turn and rolled left before it came crashing down. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor, fuselage, and main rotor. The student pilot stated there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N992TP
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 14089
- Built
- 2017
- Airframe hours
- 664.03
- Engine
- Lycoming Engines IO-540-AE1A5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 15, 2025
- Departed
- PEQ · Pecos, TX
- Destination
- PEQ · Pecos, TX
- Airport
- PEQ · Pecos Municipal Airport
- Equipment
- ADS-B
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.
Flight crew · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 73
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 10, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Role
- Student pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- Minor
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 7, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 209 total · 31 in this make and model · 103 as pilot in command · 31 in the last 90 days · 6 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Observed at
- E01, 33 nm away
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 9, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.