- Date
- July 9, 2025, 12:22 local (16:22 UTC)
- Place
- Inlet, NY
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N67RWRobinson Helicopter R44 II
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- 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
- 20250709011119A
- Case key
- 200538
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 control of the helicopter during the landing.
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 while approaching to land in his yard, while still over water, he lowered the collective to prevent an increase in altitude when he flared. As the helicopter began to settle, he increased the collective; however, his hand was too far up the collective and his grip prevented the governor from automatically increasing the throttle to increase rotor rpm and maintain lift when the collective was raised. The helicopter impacted the water resulting in substantial damage to the tail boom. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N67RW
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44 II
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 12526
- Built
- 2008
- Airframe hours
- 1,635.3
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540-AE1A5, 235 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 18, 2024 · 92 hours before
- Airport
- N/A
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 73
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 26, 2024
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 802 total · 421 in this make and model · 421 as pilot in command · 62 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- GTB, 46 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KGTB 091555Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM FEW026 FEW210 25/17 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP159 T02470169 $
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 20, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 24.3 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.