- Date
- March 29, 2026, 14:35 local (19:35 UTC)
- Place
- Oelwein, IA
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N942MAEnstrom F-28F
- Defining event
- Taxi-from runway: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 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
- 20260329003769A
- Case key
- 202726
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 directional control during the hover taxi with a quartering tailwind.
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 hover taxiing, the helicopter encountered a quartering tailwind and immediately started to spin. The pilot attempted to correct the spin by reducing engine power; however, the helicopter touched down hard. During the hard landing, the left skid collapsed and the main rotor blades impacted the ground, which resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor system. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. At the time of the accident, the pilot was hover taxiing the helicopter to the north with wind from 170° at 18 knots.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N942MA
- Reported as
- Enstrom F-28F
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 754
- Built
- 1988
- Airframe hours
- 5,062
- Engine
- Lycoming HIO-360, 225 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 22, 2025
- Departed
- VYS · Peru, IL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- OLZ · Oelwein Municipal Airport, runway 18, 1,822 × 85 ft, grass/turf
- 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 2, 2025
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 643 total · 78 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 170° at 18 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 66 °F, dew point 37 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Observed at
- KOLZ
- METAR
- METAR KOLZ 291915Z AUTO 19015KT 10SM CLR 19/03 A2996 RMK A01=
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 15, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.6 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.