American Eurocopter CORP AS350B3 accident near San Luis, Arizona, June 25, 2025
On June 25, 2025 at about 4:50 pm local time, a 2010 American Eurocopter CORP AS350B3 (helicopter), registered N3951A, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Luis, Arizona (Rollie Airfield). It was an instructional flight under public-use (government) rules. No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot receiving instruction’s failure to properly recover the helicopter during an autorotative landing and the instructor pilot’s failure to intervene, which resulted in a hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2025 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- San Luis, Arizona · Rollie Airfield · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Eurocopter CORP AS350B3, built 2010
- Registration
- N3951A · registry record · serial 4993
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · public-use (government) rules
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the operator, the instructor and pilot receiving instruction were conducting hover autorotation training over cement that was visually obstructed by a hard packed dirt surface. On the third autorotation, the pilot under instruction established a hover at a slightly higher altitude than the previous two practice iterations. During recovery, the pilot receiving instruction executed the appropriate procedures, but the helicopter began to settle faster than expected and he was unable to sufficiently reduce the rate of descent. Subsequently, the helicopter landed hard and resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom. The operator reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane 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
- Autorotation Hard landing defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Use of equip/system › Student/instructed pilot
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › (general) › Effect on equipment
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Descent rate › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Instructor/check pilot
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,895 hours in all; 1,420 in this make and model; 168 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days; 2,768 as pilot in command; 305 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 6, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, military
- Ratings: single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 1,206 hours in all; 192 in this make and model; 129 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 251 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 15, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,969.2 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, June 6, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 5,225 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Safran Arriel 2B1 (turboshaft); 6,279 hours total
- Operator: US Department Of Homeland Security
The flight
- Departed from: NYL Yuma AZ at 2:47 pm
- Runway 17/3, 2,800 ft by 60 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 9:57 am from KNYL, 9 miles away
Weather report (METAR): METAR KNYL 251657Z VRB03KT 10SM CLR 32/04 A2989 RMK AO2 SLP117 T03220044 $
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR25LA189.