No fatalities

BELL UH-1H accident at Townsend, MT, 15 Jun 2021

Townsend, MT, United States

On June 15, 2021, a BELL UH-1H operated by USDA FOREST SERVICE FEPP was involved in an aviation accident near Townsend, MT. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control after an encounter with settling with power during approach at an altitude that was too low for recovery, which resulted in a hard landing. This summary draws on records from NTSB; 10 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

SourcesNTSBPrimary reportUpdated 2026-08-03Data APIEditorial standards

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain helicopter control after an encounter with settling with power during approach at an altitude that was too low for recovery, which resulted in a hard landing.

— NTSB Determination

Contributing factors

PilotAttain/maintain not possible