NASA Concludes Investigation Into Ingenuity Mars Helicopter

The record-breaking helicopter's navigation system struggled with featureless terrain, leading to its hard landing on its 72nd flight.

Ingenuity's navigation system failed to track surface features during its final flight due to the bland, sandy terrain in Mars' Jezero Crater.
The helicopter's rotors suffered structural damage upon impact, with all four blades snapping at their weakest points due to bending loads.
NASA's investigation marks the first aircraft accident analysis conducted for another planet, offering insights for future Mars missions.
Recommendations include improving navigation systems for featureless terrain and enhancing telemetry handling during anomalies.
Ingenuity, despite the crash, continues to function as a weather station, transmitting data to Earth, though contact may be lost permanently soon.