Bell 206-L4 accident near Springfield, OH
On July 29, 2023, a Bell 206-L4 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Springfield, OH. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 29, 2023
- Place
- Springfield, OH
- Aircraft
- Bell 206-L4 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.888°N, 83.746°W
- NTSB ID
- 20230729192737
Official records · ERA23FA317
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHT On July 29, 2023, about 1206 eastern standard time, a Bell 206-L-4 helicopter, N652HA, was involved in an accident near Springfield, Ohio. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as an agricultural spraying flight conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137. The pilot departed an off-airport location about 1152 and flew eastbound toward Springfield to spray a cluster of corn fields south of Interstate 70. A ground crew was scheduled to meet the pilot at another off-field location later in the day. While driving to the scheduled rendezvous point, the ground crew was stopped in traffic on the interstate adjacent to where the pilot was spraying. A supervisor called the ground crew because he had noticed that the helicopter’s flight information had disappeared from a commercial flight tracking website. The ground crew tried to contact the pilot via radio and telephone, but there was no answer. The ground crew noticed that the reason for the traffic was due to a downed powerline and notified another company pilot who was operating in the area nearby to conduct an aerial search of the cornfield. The pilot flew to their location and confirmed the accident helicopter had impacted the cornfield south of the interstate near a set of powerlines. The helicopter came to rest in a cornfield about 150 ft east of a set of four high-tension powerlines that ran northeast-southwest through the cornfield and over Interstate 70. The middle two powerline wires, which were about 75-100 ft tall, were severed. The t
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to remain clear of powerlines during an agricultural spraying operation.
More accidents in OH
- British Aerospace HS 125 700A, Nov 10, 2015
- Cessna 441, Jun 29, 2025
- Cessna 525, Dec 30, 2016
- Cessna U206C, Jun 8, 2008
- Cessna 205, May 9, 1999
Browse: Ohio · Bell aircraft
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
