2025 AK1-3 Helicopter Accident Near Prineville, Oregon (N163AK)

Accident Overview and Casualties On May 17, 2025, at approximately 1134 Pacific Daylight Time, a DB Aerocopter Ltd. AK1-3 helicopter, registration N163AK, sustained substantial damage in an accident near Prineville, Oregon. The aircraft was operating as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 instructional flight. The private pilot undergoing instruction was fatally injured, while the flight instructor sustained serious injuries. ## Flight Sequence and Visual Evidence The helicopter was not equipped with an ADS-B transponder, and radar coverage was unavailable in the area. However, multiple security cameras captured the initial departure and portions of the accident sequence. A camera at Prineville Municipal Airport (S39) recorded the helicopter taking off from runway 29 at approximately 1036. For the following hour, the aircraft performed a series of takeoffs, landings, and low hover maneuvers while remaining in the right traffic pattern for runway 29, with the final takeoff occurring at 1123. A north-facing camera at a business located about 1,800 feet northeast of the runway 29 midfield captured the helicopter passing from left to right at 1134. The aircraft then began a rapid descent in a slight nose-down attitude. The nose subsequently pitched up, and the helicopter struck the ground, producing a large dust cloud. White fragments were observed being ejected from the initial impact point in an arcing trajectory to the east. ## Witness Account and Rest Position A witness traveling west in an automobile along a road north of the airport observed the helicopter pass in front of her from right to left. She reported that the helicopter was traveling slower than expected and then rapidly descended, striking the ground in a field to her left. The witness stated that the helicopter was not trailing smoke or vapor prior to the accident, an observation corroborated by the video footage. The helicopter came to rest in a field approximately 4,000 feet north of the approach end of runway 29, in an area corresponding to the midfield downwind segment of the right traffic pattern. ## Debris Field and Damage The first identified point of impact consisted of longitudinal slash marks in the soil, followed by a ground disruption containing fragments of the tail rotor blades. Debris continued on a heading of approximately 120 degrees to a 15-foot-long and 6-foot-wide soil disruption that matched the general outline of the helicopter. This disruption contained the complete main skid assembly, which had been compressed such that the skids were level with the upper frame. The debris field, which contained fragments of the windshield and cabin contents, continued on the same heading to the main cabin about 60 feet downrange. At the time of examination, the helicopter was sitting upright, although first responders reported it was lying on its right side upon their arrival. The cabin was generally intact, with the main transmission and engine remaining attached to the airframe. Two main rotor blades were still attached to the head of the transmission mast, with the third located about 20 feet south. The tail rotor gearbox assembly was located a further 170 feet downrange, with three sections of the tail cone located a further 100 feet northeast. The furthest component in the debris field was the tail rotor driveshaft, which was found 410 feet beyond the initial impact point. ## Weather Conditions Weather at the time of the accident included light rain with wind from 280 degrees at 7 knots, gusting to 14 knots.