Bell 47D N74823 accident near Marana, Arizona

Probable cause

The pilot's failure to maintain helicopter control, which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB analysis

The helicopter pilot reported that, while hover taxing on the taxiway, a Cessna airplane taxied from the ramp onto the same taxiway and turned toward and approached the helicopter. The helicopter pilot assumed that the Cessna would turn onto another taxiway toward the runway, however the Cessna continued toward the helicopter. The helicopter pilot stated that he went into a vertical lift, but "due to low rotor RPM the helicopter went into a loss of control spin". The helicopter landed hard to the left of the taxiway, substantially damaging the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for WPR21LA077 for the full record.