- Date
- August 30, 2025, 20:25 local (Aug 31, 2025, 01:25 UTC)
- Place
- Nashville, AR
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N442PRRobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Fuel exhaustion
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report January 15, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250830020649A
- Case key
- 200928
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 inadequate fuel planning which resulted in a total loss of power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the landing zone being unlit.
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 pilot reported that while enroute, about two minutes from his planned landing zone, the low-fuel light illuminated. He flew past the intended landing zone, which was unlit, and continued searching for the landing zone until the engine suffered a total loss of power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot initiated an autorotation, and, while searching for a landing reference, the helicopter impacted a power pole. The helicopter came to rest upright and sustained substantial damage to the tail boom, fuselage, and main rotor system. The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented by monitoring the fuel level and having lighting at his landing zone.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N442PR
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 11278
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 1,863
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540, 245 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- A&E Aerial LLC
- Registered owner
- A&E Aerial LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · March 5, 2025
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- None · Grass lot
- Equipment
- Stall warning system
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 2, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 5, 2025
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 1,292.3 total · 1,292.3 in this make and model · 131.8 in the last 90 days · 42.5 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 8,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KDEQ, 31 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KDEQ 010153Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM BKN080 OVC100 24/23 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP158 T02440228=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.6 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.