"When running an accident investigation from 100 million miles away, you don't have any black boxes!" NASA's Håvard Grip said.

The first aircraft to achieve a powered, controlled flight on another planet, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter, crashed on Mars 11 months ago when its navigation system became befuddled by a bland, featureless stretch of terrain and slammed so hard into the Martian surface that the tips of its rotor blades snapped.

Engineers now say they understand the most likely cause of the Ingenuity helicopter's crash landing on Mars earlier this year.

After over 70 flights, the Ingenuity helicopter — the first craft to ever make a powered, controlled flight on another planet — crashed in the Martian dunes in January 2024. But its unexpected achievement (engineers hoped it might make five flights) has prompted the conceptual design and planning for what the agency calls its "Mars Chopper."

Ingenuity may never fly above the surface of Mars again, but the downed helicopter is otherwise healthy and could serve as a weather station for decades, JPL says.

The Ingenuity helicopter flew on Mars for an incredible 72 flights. Now, NASA has shared findings of why the mission came to an end.

NASA has made history by conducting the first-ever aircraft accident investigation on another planet. The focus of the investigation was the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter, which experienced a hard landing during its 72nd flight on January 18,

Engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California and AeroVironment are completing a detailed assessment of the Ingenuity Mars Helicopter's final flight on Jan. 18, 2024, which will be published in the next few weeks as a NASA technical report.