What happened
On May 17, 2025, at approximately 11:34 Pacific daylight time, an AK1-3 helicopter, registration N163AK, was involved in an accident near Prineability, Oregon. The aircraft was being operated by a private pilot undergoing instruction under 14 CFR part 91. The accident resulted in 1 fatal injury to the pilot and 1 serious injury to the flight instructor.
Security camera footage from Prineville Municipal Airport (S39) showed the helicopter performing a series of takeoffs, landings, and low hover maneuvers in the right traffic pattern for runway 29. The final takeoff before the accident occurred at 11:23. At 11:34, a camera located approximately 1,800 feet northeast of the runway midfield captured the helicopter moving from left to right. The aircraft entered a rapid descent in a slight nose-down attitude, followed by a nose-up pitch, before striking the ground.
A witness traveling in a vehicle north of the airport observed the helicopter passing from right to left at a slower speed than expected before it rapidly descended into a field. The witness noted that no smoke or vapor was visible from the aircraft prior to impact.
The helicopter came to rest in a field roughly 4,000 feet north of the approach end of runway 29. The debris field began with longitudinal marks in the soil and included fragments of the tail rotor blades. The main skid assembly was found compressed within a soil disruption. Further downrange, debris included windshield fragments and cabin contents. While the cabin remained generally intact with the engine and main transmission attached, the tail rotor gearbox and sections of the tailcone were located further away. The furthest piece of debris, the tail rotor driveshaft, was found 410 feet from the initial impact point.
Weather conditions at the time of the accident included light rain with winds from 280 degrees at 7 knots, gusting to 14 knots, and a visibility of 9 statute miles.