- Date
- July 22, 2025, 14:00 local (19:00 UTC)
- Place
- Maynard, IA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N88911Robinson Helicopter R66
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Loss of engine power (total)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- Case key
- 200610
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Preliminary report
What NTSB knew early in the investigation. It may change in the final report.
On July 22, 2025, about 1400 central daylight time, a Robinson Helicopter Company R66 helicopter, N88911, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Maynard, Iowa. The pilot was uninjured. The helicopter was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations as a Part 137 aerial application flight. The pilot stated that he had been conducting spray operations for about 50 minutes. The helicopter was about 5 to 10 ft above the corn when, during a turn, the turbine engine flamed out. He stated that he immediately lowered the collective and applied aft cyclic to gain altitude. The pilot then executed a forced landing in the corn field, which resulted in the separation of the helicopter’s tailboom. The helicopter was retained for further examination.
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
- N88911
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R66
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 0602
- Built
- 2015
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Midwest Aviation LLC
- Registered owner
- Midwest Aviation LLC
- Destination
- Same as departure
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
- 110° at 10 knots
- Visibility
- 9 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 79 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.03 inHg
- Observed at
- KOLZ, 5 nm away
- METAR
- KOLZ 211815Z AUTO 11010KT 9SM FEW021 BKN028 26/21 A3003 RMK A01