Robinson Helicopter CO R66 accident near Tukwila, Washington, June 30, 2025
On June 30, 2025 at about 7:43 pm local time, a 2012 Robinson Helicopter CO R66, registered N23UP, was substantially damaged in an accident during takeoff near Tukwila, Washington (Boeing Field/King County Inter). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 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 yaw control during a takeoff to a hover in a gusting crosswind, which resulted in a loss of directional control and a subsequent hard landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 30, 2025 · about 7:43 pm local time
- Place
- Tukwila, Washington · Boeing Field/King County Inter · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Robinson Helicopter CO R66, built 2012
- Registration
- N23UP · registry record · serial 0270
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot and pilot-rated passenger boarded the helicopter for a local flight and were cleared by air traffic control to depart south. The pilot lifted the helicopter off the ramp and began to hover taxi east toward the taxiway with a left gusting crosswind. Surveillance video footage of the takeoff showed that shortly after lifting off, the helicopter yawed left about 90° while drifting east towards the taxiway. The helicopter continued to drift and then climbed in a slight nose up attitude. About 50 feet above ground level, the nose pitched down sharply, and it began a steep descent to the left. The helicopter pitched up to about level attitude and then landed hard on its skids. Subsequently, the helicopter bounced and climbed to the west out of the surveillance camera’s view. According to the pilot, when the helicopter lifted off the pad and did not respond to torque pedal inputs as expected, he transferred the helicopter’s controls to the pilot rated passenger. According to the pilot-rated passenger, he did not assume control of the helicopter until shortly before the helicopter impacted the ramp. After impact with the ramp and bounced, the pilot-rated passenger added power to climb over nearby powerlines and landed the helicopter without further incident. A post-accident inspection of the helicopter revealed it sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tailboom. Additionally, a visual examination of the helicopter’s flight controls did not reveal any pre-impact anomalies. The pilot-rated passenger reported he did not observe any mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The airport’s automated weather observation station reported that, about the time of the accident, the wind was from 300° at 10 knots, gusting to 16 knots.
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
- Hard landing during landing
- Loss of control in flight during takeoff defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Wind › Tailwind › Effect on operation
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C300/A1 (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Seattle Air Taxi LLC
The flight
- Destination: S50 Auburn WA
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 12:53 pm from KBFI
Weather report (METAR): KBFI 301953Z 30010G16KT 10SM CLR 26/12 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP154 T02610122
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Photographs from the investigation 3 pictures from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
Photograph 1 – View of substantial damage to the tailboom.
Photograph 2 – Deformation of the helicopter skids.
Photograph 3 – Scrapes on ramp surface from helicopter impact.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
8 documents, released by the NTSB on November 6, 2025. 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 (Partial) | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 2 | Helicopter Inspection Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Pilot Rated Passenger Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Record of Conversation, Pilot Rated Passenger | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Witness Statement | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Video 1 Courtesy of Airport Operations | MOV file | Download |
| 7 | Video 2 Courtesy of Airport Operations | MOV file | Download |
| 8 | Investigation Photographs | PDF, 4 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.