# NTSB GAA26WA130: Robinson R44, Drake, Australia, March 12, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 5 · Foreign
- Date: March 13, 2026, 10:59 local (Mar 12, 2026, 23:59 UTC)
- Place: Drake, Australia
- Coordinates: -28.823922, 152.396868 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=-28.8239&lon=152.3969&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120)
- Highest injury: Fatal
- Injuries: 1 fatal
- Status: Led by another country's authority
- Investigation class: Class 5 - No publish
- NTSB office: General Aviation Accidents
- Lead agency: Other
- NTSB case key (mKey): 202656
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=GAA26WA130
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/202656/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/GAA26WA130

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute: Controlled flight into terr/obj (CFIT)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120) (defining event); cases with it: [All aircraft, 1,074 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/120/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: VH-TCF (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: ROBINSON R44 (II)
- Category: Helicopter
- Engines: TEXTRON LYCOMING IO-540-AE1A5 reciprocating
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Fire: Unknown
- Flight: Personal, Non-U.S., non-commercial

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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