- Date
- August 16, 2025, 11:50 local (16:50 UTC)
- Place
- Cape Girardeau, MO
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N24DFRobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250816015469A
- Case key
- 200815
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 August 16, 2025, at 1150 central daylight time, a Robinson R44 II helicopter, N24DF was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The pilot and three passengers were not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 air tour flight. The pilot reported that during an enroute descent towards his destination airport, he felt and heard a loud vibration and immediately started to lose tail rotor authority. During the vibration, he observed the alternator warning annunciator light illuminate but did not observe any reduction of rotor or engine RPM. The pilot decided to perform an autorotation to a nearby field. During the autorotation, the helicopter landed hard which resulted in the main rotor contacting the tail boom. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor, tail boom, tail rotor drive system, and tail rotor. 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
- N24DF
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 14246
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Cape Copters LLC
- Registered owner
- Cape Copters 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
- 290° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KCGI
- METAR
- KCGI 161653Z 29004KT 10SM CLR 33/23 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP190 T03330233
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.