No fatalities

Helicopter Noses Over After Tail Boom Stinger Contacts Landing Cart During Aborted Landing

Horseshoe Bay, TX, United States

On December 29, 2014, a ROBINSON HELICOPTER COMPANY R44 II was involved in an aviation accident near Horseshoe Bay, TX. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The helicopter's contact with the landing pad during a rejected landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 12 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

A helicopter slid forward and left upon contacting a landing cart. The pilot aborted, but the tail boom stinger hit the cart, causing the helicopter to nose over and sustain substantial damage.

Incident Overview

The pilot of a helicopter attempted a landing on a landing cart. As the helicopter's skids made contact with the cart, the aircraft began to slide forward and to the left. In response, the pilot aborted the landing and brought the helicopter back to a hover. During this maneuver, the tail boom stinger contacted the landing cart, causing the helicopter to nose over. The helicopter then touched down and rolled onto its side.

Damage

The accident resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom, fuselage, and rotor system.

Pilot Report

The pilot reported experiencing variable wind conditions and a developing tailwind during the landing attempt.

Contributing factors

Pitch control — Not attained/maintained