Overall Trends
Total, fatal, and serious accidents in the selected range.
Search investigations, review source evidence, monitor watched reports, and trace long-term patterns from one calm, data-first workspace.
Fast key and full-text search with live filters, watches, and precise metadata.
Use quotes for exact phrase matches (for example "fuel selector valve").
Track fatal and non-fatal accident patterns across Part 91, Part 135, and Part 121 operations.
Major cases, deep-report coverage, and investigation media across decades of NTSB history.
Move quickly by aircraft, airport, operator, and time with indexes built for research, not wandering.
NTSB Reports is an independent research and search tool for public aviation accident and incident records. It brings NTSB aviation reports, structured fields, docket files, extracted figures, photos, videos, and update history into one searchable interface.
The goal is practical safety education: make it faster to find relevant investigations, compare similar events, review factual records, and understand the evidence behind probable-cause and preliminary reports.
The investigative work and source records belong to the National Transportation Safety Board and the published investigation record. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NTSB.
New York, NY
After completing the approach phase of the landing, the pilot was in the process of transitioning to a hover, when he decided to reduce his airspeed by 2-3 mph by adding "a little" aft cyclic. During the application of aft cyclic, the tail of the helicopter dropped, and the tail rotor blades struck a 6-inch high cement curb block, which was located at the edge of the helipad. The helicopter touched down uneventfully, and the engine was secured. The pilot additionally stated that he was too low during the landing.
The pilot's improper flare while landing, which resulted in a collision with a concrete curb.
On April 13, 2002, about 1100 eastern daylight time, a Bell 206-L3 helicopter, N19TD, was substantially damaged while landing at the West 30th Street Heliport, New York, New York. The certificated commercial pilot was not injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the positioning flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. According to the pilot, while he was on approach for landing, he had completed the approach phase of the landing and was in the process of transitioning to a hover, when he decided to reduce his airspeed by 2-3 mph by adding "a little" aft cyclic. During the application of aft cyclic, the tail of the helicopter dropped, and the tail rotor blades struck a 6-inch high cement curb block, which was located at the edge of the helipad. The helicopter touched down uneventfully, and the engine was secured. The pilot additionally stated that he was too low during the landing. Examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that about 2-inches had separated from each tail rotor blade. Damage was also observed to the tail boom, the vertical stabilizer, and both sides of the fuselage. The recorded weather at a nearby airport, about the time of the accident, included winds from 180 degrees at 9 knots.