Robinson R44 N668TM

Summary

On 14 November 2025 at about 14:14 local time, a Robinson R44 registered N668TM was involved in an accident near Cookeville, Tennessee, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

14 November 2025 at 14:14

Classification

Accident

Location

Cookeville, Tennessee, United States

Coordinates

36.1596, -85.5072

Aircraft

Robinson R44

Registration

N668TM

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2002

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

ERA26LA048

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to maintain an appropriate decent rate during approach, resulting in a hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the helicopter was performing air tour flights from a county fairground. While landing, and performing a pedal turn about 30 ft above ground level, the helicopter began descending at a rate of about 200 ft per minute. As the pilot initiated forward cyclic to position over the landing zone, the helicopter suddenly dropped from an altitude of about 10 to 15 ft, and landed hard on the skids, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures of the the helicopter that would have prevented normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.