- Date
- November 14, 2025, 08:14 local (14:14 UTC)
- Place
- Cookeville, TN
- Injuries
- 4 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N668TMRobinson Helicopter R44
- Defining event
- Landing: Hard landing
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 9, 2026
- 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
- 20251114018119A
- Case key
- 202037
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 an appropriate decent rate during approach, resulting in a hard 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 of the helicopter was performing air tour flights from a county fairground. While landing, and performing a pedal turn about 30 ft above ground level, the helicopter began descending at a rate of about 200 ft per minute. As the pilot initiated forward cyclic to position over the landing zone, the helicopter suddenly dropped from an altitude of about 10 to 15 ft, and landed hard on the skids, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the the helicopter that would have prevented normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N668TM
- Reported as
- Robinson Helicopter R44
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 1228
- Built
- 2002
- Airframe hours
- 3,557
- Engine
- Lycoming O-540-FLB5, 260 hp, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Aerial observation · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Annual · October 31, 2025
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
- 24
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 7, 2025
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Flight hours
- 191 total · 1.3 in this make and model · 112 as pilot in command · 2.7 in the last 90 days · 1.3 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.24 inHg
- Observed at
- SRB, 6 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KSRB 141415Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR 09/06 A3024 RMK AO2
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 9, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.3 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.