Sikorsky Aircraft CORP S-76D accident near Texarkana, Arkansas, March 13, 2022
On March 13, 2022, a 2013 Sikorsky Aircraft CORP S-76D (helicopter), registered N761AF, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing near Texarkana, Arkansas (Heliport Texarkana Wadley Regi airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance during landing on a rooftop helipad.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 13, 2022
- Place
- Texarkana, Arkansas · Heliport Texarkana Wadley Regi · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Sikorsky Aircraft CORP S-76D, built 2013 · all S-76Ds on the register
- Registration
- N761AF · registry record · serial 761039
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that he was on approach to a hospital rooftop helipad that he had never landed at before. About 30 ft above ground level, he felt a “thump” in the pedals; the helicopter vibrated, pitched forward, rolled left, then yawed right. The pilot landed the helicopter on the helipad. After the accident the pilot discovered that the tail rotor had contacted the building. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail rotor, tail rotor drivetrain, and tail pylon. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Experience/knowledge › Experience/qualifications › Total experience › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,211 hours in all; 173 in this make and model; 128 in the last 90 days; 32 in the last 30 days; 1,879 as pilot in command; 963 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 30, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,747.7 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 20, 2022
- Maximum gross weight: 11,875 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt And Whitney Canada PW210S (turboshaft); 1,528 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt And Whitney PW210S (turboshaft); 1,528 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AR62 Little Rock AR at 11:34 pm
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.34 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from KTXK, 3 miles away
Weather report (METAR): KLIT 122353Z 05003KT 10SM FEW250 06/M10 A3037 RMK AO2 SLP287 T00561100 10072 20017 56016
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on April 19, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N761AF the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.