Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II accident near Nashville, Arkansas, August 31, 2025
On August 31, 2025 at about 1:25 am local time, a 2006 Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, registered N442PR, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Nashville, Arkansas (Grass Lot airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s inadequate fuel planning which resulted in a total loss of power due to fuel exhaustion. Contributing to the accident was the landing zone being unlit.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2025 · about 1:25 am local time
- Place
- Nashville, Arkansas · Grass Lot · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter Company R44 II, built 2006
- Registration
- N442PR · registry record · serial 11278
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that while enroute, about two minutes from his planned landing zone, the low-fuel light illuminated. He flew past the intended landing zone, which was unlit, and continued searching for the landing zone until the engine suffered a total loss of power due to fuel exhaustion. The pilot initiated an autorotation, and, while searching for a landing reference, the helicopter impacted a power pole. The helicopter came to rest upright and sustained substantial damage to the tail boom, fuselage, and main rotor system. The pilot reported that the accident could have been prevented by monitoring the fuel level and having lighting at his landing zone.
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
- Fuel exhaustion during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Autorotation Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain)
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › Fuel planning › Pilot
- Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid level
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Pole › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,292.3 hours in all; 1,292.3 in this make and model; 131.8 in the last 90 days; 42.5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 5, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,863 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 5, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 2,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming IO-540 (piston); 2,942 hours total
- Operator: A&E Aerial LLC
The flight
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from KDEQ, 31 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KDEQ 010153Z AUTO 00000KT 10SM BKN080 OVC100 24/23 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP158 T02440228=
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 15, 2026. 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, 6 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 2 pages · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.