Airbus EC130 / H130 buyer's guide:
what the records reveal

The U.S. fleet at a glance

The FAA registry lists 301 Airbus EC130 / H130 aircraft, built between 2001 and 2026. The largest concentrations are registered in CO (83), NV (47), WA (29). A large, active fleet works in a buyer's favor: parts supply, mechanic familiarity and comparable sale prices are all easier to establish than on a rare type.

Where this fleet reports maintenance difficulties

FAA Service Difficulty Reports are filed by mechanics and operators when a component fails or malfunctions in service. Across the Airbus EC130 / H130 fleet, 523 reports have been filed against this type since 2003 — most airframes have zero reports on file, with a mean of 1.7 per airframe. The systems mechanics report most on this type:

• JASC 53 — Fuselage : 160 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 72 — Engine : 39 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 21 — Air Conditioning : 39 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 62 — Main Rotor : 34 reports fleet-wide
• JASC 67 — Rotorcraft Controls : 32 reports fleet-wide

Filing is voluntary, so these figures understate reality — but the RELATIVE weight of each system is exactly where an experienced buyer points the pre-buy inspection first. Reconciliation note: 258 further reports filed under these registrations were excluded because the aircraft model declared in the report shows they belong to previous holders of the same N-numbers.

The accident record, in numbers

The NTSB database holds 21 accident or incident records serial-matched to Airbus EC130 / H130 airframes in this fleet since 2008 — about 7 per 100 currently registered aircraft, of which 4 involved fatal injuries (most recent record: 2026). A further 1 record filed under the same N-numbers belong to different airframes (reused registrations) and are excluded.

Method: the denominator is the fleet currently on the FAA registry. Airframes destroyed and later deregistered leave that denominator, so this ratio understates lifetime accident history — read it as a fleet-profile indicator, not an accident rate. Fleet totals also reflect how the type is flown (training and commercial work versus private use), not just the machine itself.

Fleet-level counts tell you about the TYPE; what matters for your purchase is whether the specific airframe you are considering appears in that database — and U.S. registrations get reused, so a serial-number check matters. That per-aircraft lookup is exactly what a TailGuard report does.

Airworthiness directives to know about

20 airworthiness directives published since 2014 in our Federal Register database and matched to this type are currently open, including 9 recurring directives that must be re-complied with at set intervals. The full list of directives applicable to an older airframe is longer — build it at drs.faa.gov. The most recent in our database:

• AD 2025-17-02 · effective 2025-09-26 — report of a missing retaining ring between the supply hose and the central supply coupling of an emergency flotation system (EFS) inflation assembly
• AD 2025-16-08 recurring · effective 2025-09-22 — inspecting those TRBs and, depending on the results, replacing the TRB with a serviceable TRB
• AD 2023-25-14 recurring · effective 2024-01-12 — repetitively inspecting the vibration level on the tail rotor drive shaft and, depending on the results, taking corrective action
• AD 2023-23-01 recurring · effective 2023-11-29 — repetitive visual inspections of the rivets on the rear transmission shaft bearing support, inspections of the local structure, and rivet heads on the left-hand and right-hand side
• AD 2023-14-06 · effective 2023-09-08 — report of corrosion detected on certain part- numbered landing gear assemblies
• AD 2022-27-09 recurring · effective 2023-01-30 — crack in the tailboom

Superseded directives are excluded from these counts. Directives apply by type — no database can tell you whether a given airframe complied. Only its logbooks can, and that is the single most important paperwork check of your pre-buy.

Ownership turnover

Comparing monthly FAA registry snapshots from Aug 2023 to Jun 2026, 87 of the 300 observed Airbus EC130 / H130 airframes — 29% — changed registrant at least once. This includes registrant-name changes that are not market sales — such as a transfer to an owner's LLC or trust — and newly delivered aircraft registered to their first buyer within the window. A recent ownership change is not a red flag by itself, but a rapid succession of owners deserves a direct question to the seller, and the registration timeline of the specific aircraft is worth reading before you negotiate.

Before you buy a Airbus EC130 / H130

A records-driven starting checklist for this type — derived from the figures above, to hand to your mechanic:

1. Inspect the fuselage closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (160 reports fleet-wide).
2. Inspect the engine closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (39 reports fleet-wide).
3. Inspect the air conditioning closely — it is among the most-reported systems for this type in FAA Service Difficulty Reports (39 reports fleet-wide).
4. Verify in the logbooks that the 9 recurring airworthiness directives matched to this type are signed off at the required intervals.
5. Confirm engine and airframe times against the logbooks and the most recent annual inspection.
6. Have a licensed A&P/IA perform a physical pre-purchase inspection — no records check replaces it.