Robinson R66 N633AF

Summary

On 12 June 2025 at about 23:50 local time, a Robinson R66 registered N633AF was involved in an accident near Valparaiso, Florida, United States. 3 people were on board and 2 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

12 June 2025 at 23:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Valparaiso, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Destin Exec (DTS)

Coordinates

30.4805, -86.5232

Aircraft

Robinson R66

Registration

N633AF

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Aerial Observation

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA25LA229

2 people had minor injuries.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. The investigation is still open; a final report usually follows one to two years after the accident.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On June 12, 2025, about 1850 eastern daylight time, a Robinson Helicopter R66, N633AF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Valparaiso, Florida. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries, and a second passenger was not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 136 air tour flight. The pilot stated that the accident flight was the fourth air tour flight of the day. After takeoff and during the transition to flight, about 15 ft above the ground, he heard a “pop,” and the helicopter made a hard right nosedive to the ground. He applied left cyclic, but nothing happened. The helicopter impacted the ground on its right side and shattered the windshield. The main rotor blades fractured into several pieces. The tail rotor and tail boom fractured off the helicopter and were located about 25 ft behind the main wreckage. During examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and a representative from the helicopter manufacturer, they found that a bolt from the cyclic servo had backed out and fallen off the connecting rod. The bolt was located inside the wreckage. Other bolts were found to be only hand tight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.