Robinson R66 crash near Valparaiso, FL, United States

On June 12, 2025, about 1850 eastern daylight time, a Robinson Helicopter R66, N633AF, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Valparaiso, Florida. The pilot and passenger sustained minor injuries, and a second passenger was not injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 136 air tour flight. The pilot stated that the accident flight was the fourth air tour flight of the day. After takeoff and during the transition to flight, about 15 ft above the ground, he heard a “pop,” and the helicopter made a hard right nosedive to the ground. He applied left cyclic, but nothing happened. The helicopter impacted the ground on its right side and shattered the windshield. The main rotor blades fractured into several pieces. The tail rotor and tail boom fractured off the helicopter and were located about 25 ft behind the main wreckage. During examination of the helicopter by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector and a representative from the helicopter manufacturer, they found that a bolt from the cyclic servo had backed out and fallen off the connecting rod. The bolt was located inside the wreckage. Other bolts were found to be only hand tight.