- Date
- February 13, 2025, 10:50 local (17:50 UTC)
- Place
- Moab, UT
- Injuries
- 7 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N3WLAirbus Helicopters EC 130 T2
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Western Pacific Region
- Parties
- FAA-FSDO
- FAA report
- 20250213002069A
- Case key
- 199715
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 inflight collision with debris during takeoff.
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 shortly after he lifted off from a helipad, a window dislodged from a nearby hangar door and impacted the helicopter’s main rotor blade from behind, which in a loss of lift and an excessive vibration. The pilot initiated an emergency landing and subsequently landed hard. One of the main rotor blades was substantially damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N3WL
- Reported as
- Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2
- Category
- Helicopter
- Serial number
- 9505
- Built
- 2023
- Airframe hours
- 479
- Engine
- Turbomeca Arriel 2D, 952 horsepower, turbo shaft
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- Well Lived Mt LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 30, 2025 · 19 hours before
- Airport
- CNY · Canyonlands Regional Airport
- Equipment
- Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, ADS-B, Electronic primary flight display
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
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 16, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 2,360 total · 1,861 in this make and model · 2,118 as pilot in command · 76 in the last 90 days · 28 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 130° at 7 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point -2 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.07 inHg
- Icing
- Unknown
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KCNY, 1 nm away
- METAR
- METAR KCNY 130553Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM CLR M08/M22 A2996 RMK AO2 SLP180 T10831222 10006 21100 51025=
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 9, 2025, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.4 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.