Db Aerocopter Ltd AK1-3 accident near Prineville, OR
On May 17, 2025, a Db Aerocopter Ltd AK1-3 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Prineville, OR. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 17, 2025
- Place
- Prineville, OR
- Aircraft
- Db Aerocopter Ltd AK1-3 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 1 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 44.297°N, 120.900°W
- NTSB ID
- 20250518200167
NTSB summary
On May 17, 2025, about 1134 pacific daylight time, a DB Aerocopter Ltd., AK1-3, N163AK, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Prineville, Oregon. The private pilot undergoing instruction was fatally injured, and the flight instructor sustained serious injuries. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations part 91 instructional flight. The helicopter was not equipped with an ADS-B transponder, and radar coverage was not available in the area, however the initial departure along with segments of the accident sequence were captured by multiple security cameras in the vicinity of the airport. A camera operated by Prineville Municipal Airport (S39), Prineville, Oregon, indicated that the helicopter took off from runway 29, about 1036. For the next hour it performed a series of takeoffs, landings and low hover maneuvers while remaining in the right traffic pattern for runway 29, with the last takeoff occurring at 1123. A north-facing camera located at a business about 1,800 ft northeast of runway 29 midfield, captured the helicopter passing from left to right at 1134. It then began a rapid descent while in a slight nose-down attitude. The nose then pitched up, and the helicopter struck the ground, accompanied by a large dust cloud (figure 1). White fragments could then be seen being ejected from the initial impact point in an arcing trajectory to the east. Figure 1 – Composite of Security Video Footage (video courtesy Centerline Drilling Inc.) A witness, who was travelling west in her automobile along a road north of the ai
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Browse: Oregon
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
