Vertical HUMMINGBIRD N284ST

Summary

On 16 May 2026 at about 14:50 local time, a Vertical HUMMINGBIRD registered N284ST, operated by AMD Air LLC, was involved in an accident near Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States. 3 people were on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. No probable cause has been published yet; this accident is still under investigation.

Date

16 May 2026 at 14:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Lee's Summit, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Kansas City/Lee's Summit Rgnl (LXT)

Coordinates

38.9591, -94.3719

Aircraft

Vertical HUMMINGBIRD

Registration

N284ST

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2025

Engines

1

Operator

AMD Air LLC

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN26LA191

1 person 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 May 16, 2026, about 0950 central daylight time, a Vertical Aviation Technologies 300L Hummingbird helicopter, N284ST, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Lee’s Summit, Missouri. One passenger sustained minor injuries. The pilot and second passenger were not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. The pilot reported that after completing his initial preflight actions, he departed from his home base in Milan, Missouri, for Trenton Municipal Airport (TRX) in Trenton, Missouri. After refueling at TRX, he then departed to Kansas City/Lee's Summit Regional Airport (LXT), Lee’s Summit, Missouri, to participate in an EAA Young Eagles flight. According to the pilot, the passengers were given a safety briefing after they were loaded into the helicopter. After the engine was started, the engine oil temperature was observed to be within the required range to engage the rotor systems, and the pilot initiated a low hover. The pilot stated that after he turned about 90° to the right and flew south about 15 ft above ground level, the helicopter yawed to the left and fell to the ground. The helicopter impacted sloped terrain and came to rest on its right side, which resulted in substantial damage to its vertical and horizontal stabilizers. Video footage of the accident depicted the helicopter entering translational flight and turning to the right. After about 5 seconds, the helicopter climbed about 15 ft above ground level (AGL). A sudden increase of engine RPM can be heard, followed immediately by a loss of control, during which the helicopter rotated counterclockwise and impacted the terrain. The wreckage was retained for further investigation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.