Rotorway Scorpion 133 | N51017

The DTSB determines the Probable Cause of this accident to be Pilot Error, in that the helicopter student pilot operated the aircraft in solo flight without a solo endorsement, the most recent solo authorization from 21 months prior to the accident. The pilot operated the aircraft in aggressive flight, such that the main rotor blades struck the tail boom assembly in flight. The aircraft was observed by witnesses as falling in several large pieces. The tail boom assembly and rotor were found almost 500 feet from the main crash site, and corresponding witness marks were found on the leading edge of both main rotor blades. There were no other known mechanical defects found with the aircraft that could have caused the accident.

Probable Cause issued 7/29/2026 – 24 months after the accident: The pilot’s abrupt control inputs, which resulted in a low-G condition, main rotor mast bumping, and subsequent severing of the tailboom by the main rotor blades.

The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all rotor wing aircraft become increasingly educated and increasingly vigilant of the dangers and effects of aggressive maneuvering in any rotor wing aircraft, in that the increased G loading on the blades can cause the blades to strike the tail boom area. There is no known in flight recovery from an in flight tail boom strike. Prevention is all we have.