# NTSB WPR25LA093: Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2, N3WL, Moab, UT, February 13, 2025 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: February 13, 2025, 10:50 local (17:50 UTC) - Place: Moab, UT - Coordinates: 38.759069, -109.74571 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.7591&lon=-109.7457&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Takeoff](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/300) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Takeoff: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 7 uninjured - 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 - NTSB case key (mKey): 199715 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR25LA093 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/199715/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=199715 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR25LA093 ## Probable cause The inflight collision with debris during takeoff. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Main rotor system: main rotor blade system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01046210): Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor · Damaged/degraded; cases with it: [Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01046210/cases.md?model=1145302), [All aircraft, 60 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01046210/cases.md) - [Object/animal/substance: debris/dirt/foreign object](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022055): Environmental issues › Physical environment · Effect on operation (probable cause); cases with it: [Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022055/cases.md?model=1145302), [All aircraft, 101 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03022055/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Takeoff: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470) (defining event); cases with it: [Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=1145302), [All aircraft, 10,189 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) - [Landing: Hard landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092); cases with it: [Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md?model=1145302), [All aircraft, 2,102 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/092/sequence.md) ## 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](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N3WL), registered now, S/N 9505, built 2023 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AIRBUS HELICOPTERS EC 130 T2 - Registry model: [Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2](https://openairdocs.org/model/airbus-helicopters-ec-130-t2) (registry code 1145302) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Safran ARRIEL-2D](https://openairdocs.org/engine/safran-arriel-2d) (registry code 59997, turbo-shaft) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Helicopter - Serial number: 9505 - Year built: 2023 - Airframe hours: 479 - Engines: 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 ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 55; injuries: none; 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= ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20250213002069A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250213002069A), Feb 13, 2025: Airbus Helicopters EC 130 T2, Moab, UT, Substantial damage. On February 13, 2025 at ~1050 MST, the PIC of [privacy data omitted] loaded onto the aircraft outside of a recently built hanger the PIC owned. Shortly after… ## Docket (4 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 9, 2025, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=199715. 3.4 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18517210&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Photo array-pilot (item 2, PDF, 4 pages, 358 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18517806&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array-Pilot-Rel.pdf - Photo array-faa (item 3, PDF, 4 pages, 1.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18517541&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photo%20Array-FAA-Rel.pdf - Email-manufacturer damage assessment (item 4, PDF, 2 pages, 348 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=18518070&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Email%20on%20Damage_Redacted-Rel.pdf 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.