ERA26FA266 · Sikorsky S76 D

On July 10, 2026, about 0745 eastern daylight time, a Sikorsky S-76D helicopter, N93RT, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Huntersville, West Virginia. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 positioning flight. The pilot of the helicopter departed a private hangar near Glenville, West Virginia about 0710 to pick up the helicopter’s owner at his property. Preliminary ADS-B data showed the helicopter flying from near the departure point directly toward the destination landing zone until it was about 0.5 nautical miles (nm) northwest of the destination when the helicopter made a right turn. The helicopter was flying at an altitude of about 3,550 ft mean sea level (msl) when it made the turn to the right, away from the destination landing zone, which was located at an elevation of about 2,250 ft. A witness recorded a video of the helicopter when it was about 1.3 nm west southwest of the destination, and it showed the helicopter flying about 100 to 150 ft above ground level (agl). The video also depicted could ceilings that were about 200 to 250 ft agl. The video showed the helicopter continuing down a valley toward the town of Huntersville, West Virginia with the landing gear extended, before making a right turn toward the destination. The witness, who watched the helicopter fly over his house, reported that the rotor wash from the helicopter was making the trees on his property sway as it passed overhead. Witnesses who were located closer to the destination stated that it was foggy around the time of the accident and estimated the cloud ceiling was between 100 and 200 ft agl. They also stated that when they saw the helicopter it was partially obscured by the fog, with only the “belly” visible at various points. The described that as the helicopter passed over a ridge to the southwest of the destination, it continued east, perpendicular to the approach path they had seen the helicopter fly in the past. They also described that the helicopter pitched up just prior to impacting the mountainside. The accident site was about 0.15 nm southeast of the destination landing zone on the side of a mountain, at an elevation about 2,500 ft. The debris path was about 330 ft in length and oriented on a magnetic heading of about 110°. The debris area was on a slope that varied between 30° and 50° with the lowest debris located consisting of main rotor blade spars. The initial tree impact was about 200 ft in elevation below where the main wreckage came to rest, and those tree strikes were located about 40 ft the tree. A majority of the helicopter was consumed by postimpact fire. Part of the tail rotor gearbox was impact-separated and was found near the tail section of the helicopter, both about 60 ft below the main wreckage. Both of the tail rotor control cables were found in the main wreckage and exhibited fire damage. A portion of one tail rotor control cable remained attached to the tail rotor control in the tail. The fuselage was unrecognizable and destroyed by postaccident fire. The main rotor head was found about 10 ft below the engines in the main wreckage. The main gearbox magnesium housing was entirely consumed by postaccident fire. The primary and multifunction flight displays were found in the burned portion of the wreckage and exhibited fire damage. Both engines remained encased by the nacelle, came to rest inverted, and were damaged by postaccident fire. Both engine external and internal surfaces exhibited varying degrees of ash and soot accumulation. The left engine inlet case had been consumed by fire. A borescope examination of the 1st-stage high-pressure compressor (HPC) rotor showed all airfoils intact and full length, with no apparent deformation. Viewing through the exhaust duct confirmed that the T6 temperature-indicating probes remained intact. The 2nd-stage power turbine (PT) blades were also observed to be full length with no obvious damage. The right engine upper section of the reduction gearbox was perforated, exposing the internal gear system. A borescope examination of the 1st-stage HPC rotor showed all airfoils intact and full length, with no apparent deformation. Viewing through the exhaust duct confirmed that the T6 temperature-indicating probes remained intact. The 2nd-stage PT blades were also observed to be full length with no obvious damage. The helicopter’s cockpit voice recorder/flight data recorder combination unit, along with two other devices with the capability of recording data in nonvolatile memory, were recovered and sent to the NTSB Vehicle Recorders Laboratory for data extraction and download. The helicopter was retained for further examination.

Verbatim NTSB factual narrative from the NTSB dataset