What happened
On July 1, 2025, at 0845 central daylight time, a Bell 206B helicopter, registration N16726, was engaged in a Part 137 aerial application flight near Edgerton, Missouri. During the departure climb, the pilot reported hearing an engine surge accompanied by a decrease in main rotor speed.
At an altitude of approximately 150 to 200 feet above ground level and an airspeed of 45 to 50 knots, the pilot attempted to regain rotor speed by pulling back on the cyclic and slightly lowering the collective. Following these actions, the engine shut down. The pilot then turned the aircraft toward a south-facing grass pasture to perform an emergency landing.
The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades, a tail rotor blade, and the tailboom. The pilot was not injured.