- Date
- June 25, 2025, 10:41 local (15:41 UTC)
- Place
- Hawesville, KY
- Injuries
- 1 serious
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N144WKRobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Maneuvering-low-alt flying: Low altitude operation/event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 20, 2025
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250625012139A
- Case key
- 200390
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 clearance from power lines during low-level agricultural spray operations.
Findings · 2
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, during an aerial application flight, he made multiple passes over the field, while avoiding power lines. On the accident pass, the helicopter struck one of the power lines suspended above the field with the center of the rotor mast. The helicopter subsequently impacted terrain. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage, tail boom, and main rotor blades during the accident sequence. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N144WK
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 10639
- Built
- 2005
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5, 260 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial application · Part 137
- Operator
- Western Kentucky Leasing LLC
- Registered owner
- Western Kentucky Leasing LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Restricted (Special); Standard, Normal
- Departed
- Philpot, KY
- Airport
- OWB · Owensboro/Daviess County Rgnl
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, 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
- 39
- Injuries
- Serious
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 15, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 795.4 total · 650 in this make and model · 756 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 38 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.19 inHg
- Observed at
- OWB, 19 nm away
- METAR
- KOWB 251556Z 00000KT 10SM SCT044 32/24 A3019 RMK AO2 SLP220 T03220244
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 47.1 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.