Vertical Aviation Technologies Hummingbird accident near Spring Branch, TX
On April 29, 2024, a Vertical Aviation Technologies Hummingbird (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Spring Branch, TX. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- April 29, 2024
- Place
- Spring Branch, TX
- Aircraft
- Vertical Aviation Technologies Hummingbird · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 29.829°N, 98.447°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240429194169
Official records · CEN24FA167
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn April 29, 2024, about 1512 central daylight time, a Vertical Aviation Technologies Hummingbird 260L helicopter, N829SH, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Spring Branch, Texas. The airline transport pilot and the pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 air drop flight. The purpose of the flight was to perform a charity golf ball drop at the River Crossing Club (a private golf club), in Spring Branch, Texas. The planned time for the golf ball drop was 1530, and the planned location was on the driving range. According to the pilot’s family, the golf ball drop was originally supposed to occur sometime during the morning; however, it was pushed back to later in the day due to the presence of fog in the area. The helicopter departed from the Kestrel Airpark (1T7), Spring Branch, Texas, for the local area flight. 1T7 is where the pilot based the helicopter. Preaccident photos of the helicopter taken right before departure from 1T7 showed the pilot stationed in the front right seat (which is required per the helicopter flight manual) and the pilot-rated passenger stationed in the rear left seat. A postaccident search did not reveal any ADS-B or radar data for the accident flight. A fire-damaged Appareo Straus 3 device was recovered from the wreckage and the data was downloaded. No data was recorded for the beginning of the flight, as the first data point indicated the helicopter was in flight and was approximately 4.3 miles to the northeast of 1T7 and about
Probable cause
A total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, which resulted in a forced landing and a subsequent impact with terrain.
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Browse: Texas
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
