The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB DCA16WA229 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Pulse Vapor 55 incident near Ballina, Au, September 28, 2016

On September 28, 2016 at about 9:10 am local time, a Pulse Vapor 55 (helicopter), registered LHB270916, was involved in an incident during enroute near Ballina. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
September 28, 2016 · about 9:10 am local time
Place
Ballina, Australia
Type
Incident
Injuries
The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Pulse Vapor 55
Registration
LHB270916 · no longer on the register
Damage
Not recorded
Flight
Flight

The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has notified the NTSB of an incident involving a Pulse Vapor 55 unmanned helicopter that occurred on September 28, 2016. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the ATSB's investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13 as the State of Manufacturer and Design of the unmanned helicopter.All investigative information will be released by the ATSB.

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

  1. Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute defining event

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: fixed

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.

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.