History of Flight
On January 20, 2024, at approximately 2323 central standard time, a Bell 206 L3+ helicopter, registration N295AE, was destroyed in an accident near Hydro, Oklahoma. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 positioning flight. The pilot, flight nurse, and flight paramedic were fatally injured.
The helicopter had dropped off a patient at Mercy Health Center Heliport (OL16) in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was returning to its home base, Air Evac 112 Heliport (4OK1) in Weatherford, Oklahoma. The company's GPS monitoring program stopped tracking the helicopter about 2330, prompting a search. The wreckage was located in an open pasture approximately 1.5 miles east of Hydro.
ADS-B data showed the flight departed OL16 and flew west at altitudes between 500 and 600 feet above ground level, maintaining a groundspeed of about 110 knots. The last ADS-B point was recorded at 2323:39, about 210 feet east of the main wreckage location.
Aircraft Information
The helicopter was a Bell 206 L3+ modified under Bell Service Instruction BHT-206-SI-2052, which allowed operations at a gross weight of 4,450 lbs and provided L4 performance. Additionally, a Supplemental Type Certificate replaced the pilot-side windshield with a polycarbonate kit designed to increase resistance to bird strike penetration. The main rotor blades were composite blades from Van Horn Aviation, installed via STC.
Meteorological Information
At the time of the accident, the moon had an azimuth of 262°, elevation of 56.8°, and disk illumination of 80.6%.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The wreckage was found in a rolling pasture about 6.2 miles east of the destination heliport, within a debris field measuring 265 yards long and 455 yards wide. All major components were present at the site. The main wreckage included the fuselage, engine, and tail rotor; the transmission had separated from the fuselage. One white main rotor blade was fractured and located about 300 yards north of the main rotor hub, while the red blade was fractured near the hub. The mast nut was found separated in the debris field.
Examination revealed no evidence of preimpact anomalies. All breaks in flight control continuity had overload signatures. Signatures consistent with a bird strike were found on the main rotor pitch change links, both of which were fractured due to overload.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy of the pilot performed by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Oklahoma City determined the cause of death as acute multiple blunt force trauma, with the manner of death being accident. Toxicological testing at the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory was negative for all tested substances.
Additional Information
The US Air Force's Avian Hazard Advisory System (AHAS) indicated a low probability of bird strike near the accident site at the time of the event. Similarly, BirdCast data showed no significant bird activity in the vicinity.
Wildlife remains recovered from the cockpit area, tail rotor area, and pitch change links were identified as those of a female cackling goose, with an average mass of 4.2 pounds.
Following the accident, the operator reviewed safety directives and implemented improvements to mitigate future bird strikes, including encouraging pilots to review bird migration websites, increasing the recommended cruise altitude to 2,500 feet above ground level in areas of potential bird activity, and adjusting descent airspeeds to 80-90 knots.