Contributor - Safety

David Jack Kenny

<h2>Preliminary Reports</h2>
<h3>Disconnected Pitch-change Link Implicated in California Accident</h3>
Bell 222, Oct. 11, 2025, Huntington Beach, California
Still photos and video clips captured by witnesses during a low-speed pass that preceded the crash showed that one tail rotor pitch-change link had become disconnected from its blade. The pilot, his passenger, and one person on the ground were seriously hurt when the helicopter crashed into a staircase at the end of a pedestrian bridge. Two others suffered minor injuries.
The pilot and passenger had flown from Redlands, California, to Huntington Beach to participate in a “Cars and Copters” event, intending to land in a parking lot. Images of the helicopter recorded during a high-speed pass over Huntington Beach did not reveal any discrepancies. After circling, the pilot approached the parking lot from the southeast and began descending, making “a small right pedal input to straighten the helicopter.” It veered left, and the pilot added power, turning right to avoid the confined landing area, but was unable to maintain control.
Pieces of the tail rotor assembly began to separate prior to impact. The tail rotor gearbox broke in half; the output side landed in the parking lot with the tail rotor still attached. Both pitch change horns were fractured, though all their bolts and associated hardware remained intact and secured.
<h3>TBM Destroyed Attempting Return to Airport</h3>
Daher TBM 700, Oct. 13, Dartmouth, Massachusetts
Ten minutes after taking off from the New Bedford Regional Airport, the turboprop single crashed into the median of Interstate 195, killing the pilot and passenger and causing minor injuries to the driver of a car struck during the impact sequence. Prevailing weather included northeast winds of 19 knots with gusts to 28 and two and one-half miles visibility under a 900-foot broken ceiling with a one-degree temperature/dew point spread.
The turboprop departed at 08:05 local time on an IFR flight plan to Kenosha, Wisconsin. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot radioed that he was returning to the airport, read back an instruction to enter a left downwind for Runway 05, and indicated that he would not need assistance after landing. The controller then asked whether he could fly an approach or needed radar vectors; the pilot replied that he “should be okay.” About one minute later, the controller issued a low--altitude alert, and the pilot read back the local altimeter setting, followed shortly by “an unintelligible exclamation.”
Trees cut off about 50 feet above the ground marked the beginning of a 280-foot debris field 3.6 nm southeast of the airport. The wreckage continued on a 223-degree heading through a wooded area, across an off-ramp, and into the highway’s median. Most of the left wing and all of the right had separated from the fuselage; the empennage and portions of both wings had been consumed by a post-impact fire. The fuselage was mostly intact but buckled in several places, and both seats had separated from their installation points but remained inside the cabin.
No fuel was recovered from the wing tanks, which were both breached, but a strong aroma “consistent with jet-A fuel” was present at the scene. There was no sign of fuel leaks or obstructions. All five composite propeller blades had separated from the hub near their roots and “displayed varying amounts of leading--edge damage.” The pilot’s and co--pilot’s primary flight displays remained installed and were recovered for data download.
<h3>Hawker Jet Lost During Stall Testing</h3>
Hawker 800XP, Oct. 16, Bath, Michigan
The Mexican-registered corporate jet crashed during a post-maintenance test flight, killing the pilot, co-pilot, and sole passenger. The jet departed Battle Creek Executive Airport at Kellogg Field (KBTL) at 17:08 local time following a series of “multiple routine inspections” spanning some seven months that included removing the wings’ leading edges and TKS ice-protection panels to scan for cracks and evidence of corrosion. After that inspection, the manufacturer requires a stall test before the airplane is returned to service.
After takeoff, the Hawker made a climbing left turn and flew to an area about 9 miles northeast of KBTL. The crew requested a block altitude between FL140 and 160, which was approved. The aircraft levelled off at FL150; then, at 17:27, it began a rapid descent from FL140. A broken transmission from the aircraft was followed by “We are in a …” followed by Spanish words for “in a stall, recovering, sorry.” No further transmissions were received.
The wreckage was found in a relatively flat attitude about 9 miles northeast of KBTL at an elevation of 850 feet. A post-impact fire consumed almost the entire aircraft, with the exceptions of part of the right wing, both winglets, and the empennage. The company that conducted the maintenance reported having provided the pilots with a list of experienced test pilots who could conduct the stall tests, but after being unable to coordinate with any of them, the flight crew chose to perform the testing themselves.
In addition to specifying strict conditions for stall tests, the Hawker 800XP pilot’s operating handbook cautions that “There is no natural stall warning or aerodynamic buffet prior to the stall” and further warns that “PILOTS CONDUCTING STALL CHECKS SHOULD HAVE PRIOR EXPERIENCE IN PERFORMING STALLS IN THE HAWKER AND MUST BE PREPARED FOR UNACCEPTABLE STALL BEHAVIOR AT ANY POINT LEADING UP TO AND THROUGHOUT THE MANEUVER.”
The NTSB’s preliminary report notes that the agency “has investigated at least three other accidents/incidents involving the performance of required stall tests after maintenance in business jets.”
<h2>Final Reports</h2>
<h3>Insufficient Pedal Input Faulted in Rollover</h3>
Eurocopter EC120, May 15, 2025, Porepunkah Aerodrome, Victoria, Australia
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) concluded that the highly experienced pilot failed to use sufficient right pedal pressure to counteract left yaw during takeoff, allowing the yaw to accelerate into an uncontrolled spin. After completing three-quarters of a turn, the aft portion of the helicopter’s right skid struck the ground, causing dynamic rollover. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger were not injured and extricated themselves from the wreckage “with some difficulty,” but the helicopter sustained damage, including broken main rotor blades, a collapsed right skid, and crush damage to the right side of the fuselage.
At about 13:00 local time, the pilot started the engine for the planned private flight to Albury, 38 nm to the north. He reported that the helicopter was initially slow to lift off when he attempted to bring it into a hover but then climbed rapidly and began an uncommanded left yaw. As he planned to make a left 180-degree pedal turn, he allowed the yaw to continue before applying right pedal while increasing collective to gain altitude. The pedal input was insufficient to counter the additional torque imparted by the power increase.
The pilot held a commercial helicopter license with a Class 1 medical certificate and had logged 11,257 hours of flight experience but had not flown an EC120B “for about 15 years.” The ATSB report noted that the Fenestron tail rotor used by that model requires greater pedal input to maintain yaw authority than conventional tail rotor systems, and cited a lack of recent make-and-model experience as contributing to the accident.
<h3>Ice and Snow Led to Fatal TBM 700 Stall</h3>
Daher TBM 700, Nov. 26, 2023, Ludington, Michigan
The pilot’s decision to take off with ice and snow on the wings led to an aerodynamic stall and fatal crash of a Daher TBM 700 shortly after departure from Mason County Airport (KLDM), according to the NTSB’s final report. Both the instrument-rated private pilot and his passenger, a commercial pilot and instructor, were killed.
The aircraft was operating under Part 91 on an IFR flight to Angola, Indiana. About 15 minutes after being pulled from an unheated hangar, the pilot taxied for takeoff with visible snow on the wings and horizontal stabilizer. Weather conditions included moderate snow and zero visibility, with a temperature of -1 degrees C.
Witnesses reported the left wing dropped shortly after rotation. One observer said the aircraft was loud and low before it cleared trees and struck the ground. The NTSB cited warnings in the pilot’s operating handbook and Daher-Socata Service Letter 70-053, which emphasized the risk of performance degradation and stall due to snow or ice contamination.
Flight records showed the pilot had completed a flight review and IPC in the TBM 700 seven months prior, including training in winter conditions. He had approximately 4,700 hours total time, including 320 hours in the TBM 700. The NTSB concluded that failure to deice the aircraft was the primary cause of the accident.
<h3>Power Bank Obstructed EC155 Controls at EINN</h3>
Airbus Helicopters EC155B, Sept. 15, 2022, Shannon, Ireland
A loose portable power bank obstructing the collective pitch lever led to a loss of control in flight during transition to hover, causing a hard landing of an Airbus Helicopters EC155B at Shannon Airport (EINN), according to Ireland's Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU).
The rotorcraft, registered EI-XHI, was repositioning from Loughrea, County Galway, with only the 50-year-old pilot aboard. As the aircraft neared the light aircraft parking area, the pilot attempted to flare and transition to a hover. However, collective lever movement was limited to just 20–25 mm from the full-down position. The AAIU found the lever was blocked by an unsecured power bank that had slipped between the pilot’s seat and the avionics center console, wedging against the lever’s friction lock adjuster sleeve.
The helicopter struck the taxiway with significant force, damaging the left main and nose landing gear and causing structural damage to the nose. The aircraft remained upright and continued toward the east apron. The last recorded ground speed was 55 knots. The pilot, who was wearing a five-point harness, was uninjured. No post-impact fire occurred.
Investigators found that the power bank fit precisely into the space between the lever and the console. Witness marks confirmed the interference. The AAIU cited similar past incidents, including a 2001 EC120 accident and a 2022 U.S. Army CH-47D crash caused by unsecured devices obstructing controls. The agency issued three safety recommendations addressing helicopter landing protocols, infrastructure review, and flight data recorder compliance.&nbsp;
—Amy Wilder contributed to this report.

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