Cessna 441 Conquest, N441LS, fatal accident occurred on June 29, 2025, near Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport (YNG/KYNG), Warren, Ohio

• Location: Warren, OH 
• Accident Number: ERA25FA246 
• Date & Time: June 29, 2025, 06:54 Local 
• Registration: N441LS 
• Aircraft: Cessna 441 
• Injuries: 6 Fatal 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200407/pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N441LS

On June 29, 2025, about 0654 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 441, N441LS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Warren, Ohio. The airline transport pilot and five passengers were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Chronological Summary of Flight Communications, the pilot contacted local control (LC), which was combined with ground control and the pilot was issued an instrument flight rules clearance from Youngstown/Warren Regional Airport (YNG), Youngstown/Warren, Ohio, to Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN), Bozeman, Montana, which was correctly read back. The flight was issued taxi instructions to runway 32 and about 0651, the local controller issued a takeoff clearance from runway 32, including departure instructions to turn left direct to the destination and gave the wind as from 090° at 4 knots.

Video with sound from the “Terminal Ramp” security camera at YNG captured an increase in sound from the accident airplane about 0652, while video without sound from the military side of YNG captured the airplane rotating just prior to taxiway C, with the estimated point of rotation approximately 4,400 to 4,500 feet down the 9,003-foot runway. The aircraft then climbed to an estimated altitude of about 100 feet above ground level before leveling off and continuing along the runway heading at a consistent altitude until it was no longer visible on camera.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B) data, targets were noted during almost the entire takeoff roll and continued to very close proximity to the first identified broken tree limb on the ground associated with the impact sequence. A review of reported barometric altitude data while airborne compared to while on the runway revealed only about 100 ft of altitude gain during the entire flight.

Security camera video from a farm located .40 nm nearly due east from the accident site depicted the airplane emerging from behind trees flying at a low altitude in a westerly direction in a nearly nose-level and wings level attitude. The video with sound depicted the airplane flying for about 7 seconds before going out of view behind trees.

Witnesses who were located about 1.5 nm northwest from the accident site reported hearing the sound of an airplane initiating its takeoff roll. They then heard a noticeable pitch change in the engine sound. They reported that the airplane never appeared above the tree line and that the engine was "roaring." Moments later, they heard the sound of trees breaking, followed by a loud explosion, and observed smoke rising from the area where the airplane had gone down. Video from the military side of YNG also captured smoke from the postcrash fire.

The airplane impacted trees in a heavily-wooded area which separated a major portion of the left wing. The wreckage, consisting of the fuselage, inboard section of left wing, right wing, aft empennage with horizontal and vertical stabilizers, came to rest inverted. The cockpit, cabin, right wing, and separated section of the left wing were heavily damaged by the postcrash fire.

The Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) was retained for readout by the manufacturer, while the throttle quadrant, annunciator panel, and inboard section of the right elevator torque tube were retained for examination by the NTSB Materials Laboratory. Both engines, and propellers were also retained for further examination at each manufacturer’s facility with NTSB oversight.

MD Helicopters MD 500E (369E), N411WJ, fatal accident occurred on June 25, 2025, near Meeker, Colorado

• Location: Meeker, CO 
• Accident Number: WPR25FA190 
• Date & Time: June 25, 2025, 10:01 Local 
• Registration: N411WJ 
• Aircraft: MD HELICOPTERS INC 369E 
• Injuries: 1 Fatal 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal 

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200397/pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N411WJ

On June 25, 2025, about 1001 mountain daylight time, an MD Helicopters 369E, N411WJ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Meeker, Colorado. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to the airport manager, he did not see the helicopter depart from Meeker Coulter Field Airport (EEO) Meeker, Colorado, but did see that the helicopter dolly was outside the pilot’s hangar. Later in the day he received an inquiry from the wife of the pilot asking about her husband. An alert notification was published by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a private party search for the pilot began that involved the use of two airplanes. The search continued until dark and resumed on the following day. The wreckage was found on the morning of June 26, 2025.

A review of ADS-B data showed the helicopter in the EEO traffic pattern. The helicopter cycled the traffic pattern twice then departed on the downwind leg during its third pass. The helicopter proceeded to the northeast and began a climb. When the helicopter was about 5 miles from the airport it began a shallow left turn of about 180° and continued to climb to a maximum altitude of about 10,350 ft mean sea level (msl). When the turn was complete, the helicopter was oriented on a heading pointing back to the airport. The helicopter then began a descent that continued to the end of the ADS-B data. The last data point recorded the helicopter about 7,950 ft msl, at an approximate groundspeed of 87 knots and about 1 mile northeast of the accident site.

Examination of the accident site revealed the helicopter impacted rocky, hilly terrain and came to rest on its right side on a northwest heading at an elevation of about 6,842 ft msl and about 200 ft southwest of the first ground scar. The tail rotor assembly and about two feet of the tailboom were separated from the helicopter and were collocated with the first ground scar. 

Fragments of the helicopter were located within the debris path between the fuselage and the tail rotor assembly.

The helicopter was recovered to a secure facility for further examination.

Low altitude operation/event: Bell 47G-5, N1503L, fatal accident occurred on August 12, 2023, near Mifflinville, Pennsylvania

• Location: Mifflinville, Pennsylvania
• Accident Number: ERA23LA332 
• Date & Time: August 12, 2023, 09:50 Local 
• Registration: N1503L 
• Aircraft: Bell 47G-5 
• Aircraft Damage: Destroyed 
• Defining Event: Low altitude operation/event 
• Injuries: 1 Fatal 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 137: Agricultural 

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/192850/pdf

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=192850 

On August 12, 2023, about 0950 eastern daylight time, a Bell 47G-5 helicopter, N1503L, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Mifflinville, Pennsylvania. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 aerial application flight.

The pilot of the aerial application helicopter departed from a chemical truck staging area to a nearby corn field, where he was performing his eighth application flight of the day. There were no witnesses to the accident and the pilot was fatally injured. The accident site was located near the edge of the cornfield, which was bordered by a road, trees, and a powerline. The helicopter's spray boom and one landing gear skid were separated from the fuselage and found in a tree entangled with the power lines. The helicopter's fuselage, engine, and fuel tanks were consumed by a postimpact fire. Given this information, it is most likely that the helicopter impacted the powerline while maneuvering at low level above the corn field.

The pilot had received training about 13 years before the accident to act as pilot-in-command of aerial application operations. The training program included a skills test to demonstrate safe low-level maneuvering and how to approach the working area to locate obstacles. The extent to which the pilot had conducted a preflight assessment of the corn field for obstacles and was aware of the location of the wires could not be determined.

A postaccident autopsy of the pilot's remains identified cardiovascular disease that would have increased his risk of experiencing a sudden impairing or incapacitating cardiac event, such as arrhythmia, chest pain, or heart attack. The autopsy did not provide specific evidence that such an event occurred; however, such an event would also not leave evidence readily identifiable by an autopsy if it occurred shortly before death. Therefore, whether the pilot was incapacitated to some degree by a cardiac event that preceded the wire strike could not be determined.

- Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to see and avoid powerlines during an aerial application flight.

Loss of control in flight: Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, N109T, fatal accident occurred on September 12, 2023, near St. Mary's, Alaska

• Location: St. Mary's, Alaska 
• Accident Number: ANC23FA074 
• Date & Time: September 12, 2023, 20:47 Local 
• Registration: N109T 
• Aircraft: Piper PA-18-150 
• Aircraft Damage: Substantial 
• Defining Event: Loss of control in flight 
• Injuries: 1 Fatal 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 135: Air taxi & commuter - Non-scheduled

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/193053/pdf

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=193053

On September 12, 2023, about 2047 Alaska daylight time (AKDT), a Piper PA-18-150, N109T, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near St. Mary’s, Alaska. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 on-demand flight

The pilot ferried a group of hunters into a remote wilderness area over the days leading up to the accident flight. The hunters then killed a moose, and the pilot ferried the first of two loads of meat back to the departure airport. The first ferry flight was uneventful, with the airplane departing to the north before initiating a climbing right turn toward the destination.During the second flight, the airplane was more heavily loaded with meat and the pilot had mounted a set of moose antlers to the right wing strut. The hunters observed that the accident takeoff was more labored than before; the airplane took off in the same direction, and they watched as it rolled to the right after rotation and flew out of sight behind an adjacent ridgeline. They were all initially relieved that the airplane had managed to become airborne, but it did not reappear from behind the ridge, and had crashed just beyond their view in the opposite direction of takeoff.

The initial takeoff phase of both the accident and a previous flight were captured on video. Audio analysis of the recordings indicated that the engine was operating at the same high power setting during both flights; it was not trailing any smoke or vapor. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.

Examination of the cargo at the accident site indicated that it was still secured within the airframe, but was not secured within the cargo pod. Review of the takeoff video indicated that the airplane did not pitch up aggressively enough during the takeoff to have caused the unsecured meat in the cargo pod to shift. The antlers were still secured to the right wing strut and did not impede any of the flight control cables.

The pilot did not use scales to weigh the cargo, and the airplane was loaded 117 lbs, or about 6%, over its maximum takeoff weight. It was so heavy that, even after consuming fuel enroute, the airplane still would have been about 180 lbs over its maximum landing weight upon reaching the destination.

The runway was situated at the crest of a hill, where terrain rapidly fell away into a valley at the northern departure end. The terrain then began to rise such that within about ¾ mile it was 400 ft higher than the runway. The wind at the time of takeoff was out of the north, and while this would have helped during the initial ground roll, once the airplane had left the runway and began a right turn over the valley to the south, it would have encountered downdrafts and mechanical turbulence induced by the terrain to the north and the runway drop-off. The downdrafts, along with the overweight airplane and the added drag and lateral weight imbalance caused by the antlers on the right wing, would likely have resulted in the airplane having insufficient power and/or control authority to maneuver above terrain.

Although carrying antlers externally is a common practice in Alaska, it requires formal FAA approval with a notation in the airplane’s airworthiness and maintenance logbooks. There was no evidence that such approval had been granted for the accident airplane.

The airplane was manufactured about 70 years before the accident and had undergone dozens of major repairs and alterations such that at the time of the accident, almost none of the original airplane existed. Although the repairs and alterations were approved through supplemental type certificates (STCs), at the time those alterations were performed the FAA did not provide guidance for installers to determine the interrelationship between all STCs incorporated into an aircraft. Therefore, the airplane’s true flight performance characteristics under normal operations, and particularly when the airplane was flying outside of its weight envelope, were unknown.

The pilot had cardiovascular disease, including focally severe narrowing of a branch coronary artery. Such disease may develop without major symptoms, but conveys an increased risk of sudden impairing or incapacitating cardiovascular events, such as arrhythmia, chest pain, or heart attack. There was no autopsy evidence that such an event occurred, although such an event would not leave reliable autopsy evidence if it occurred just before death. Based on the circumstances, there was no evidence that the pilot’s medical condition or use of medications contributed to the accident.

Although the pilot survived the initial impact, he succumbed to his injuries within a few hours. The occupiable space within the cabin was compromised by impact to such an extent that it could no longer provide protection to the pilot even with the use of a shoulder harness. Given the remote location of the accident site, which was about 400 miles from a hospital, and accessible only by air, providing the pilot with prompt medical treatment following the accident was not possible.

- Probable Cause: The pilot’s decision to operate the airplane above its maximum certificated gross weight, and his installation of an unapproved external load that degraded takeoff performance and flight characteristics resulting in a loss of airplane control during takeoff into an area of mechanical turbulence and downdrafts.