Bell 206 accident near Hydro, OK
On January 21, 2024, a Bell 206 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Hydro, OK. 3 people died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- January 21, 2024
- Place
- Hydro, OK
- Aircraft
- Bell 206 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 3 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 35.549°N, 98.552°W
- NTSB ID
- 20240121193686
Official records · CEN24FA094
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn January 20, 2024, about 2323 central standard time, a Bell 206 L3+ helicopter, N295AE, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Hydro, Oklahoma. The pilot, flight nurse, and flight paramedic were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 positioning flight. The helicopter dropped off a patient at the Mercy Health Center Heliport (OL16), Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and the crew was returning to their home airfield, Air Evac 112 Heliport (4OK1), Weatherford, Oklahoma. The company GPS monitoring program stopped tracking the helicopter about 2330 and a search began for the helicopter. The wreckage was located in an open pasture about 1.5 miles east of Hydro, Oklahoma. ADS-B data captured the accident flight as it departed OL16 and flew west towards OL16 between 500 ft and 600 ft above ground level and about 110 knots groundspeed. The last ADS-B point was at 2323:39 about 210 ft east of the main wreckage location (see Figure 1). Figure 1. ADS-B Flight Track with Wreckage and Bird Locations AIRCRAFT INFORMATIONThe helicopter had been modified using Bell Service Instruction BHT-206-SI-2052, which modified the airframe and systems to allow operations at a gross weight of 4,450 lbs. The upgrade provided L4 performance for an L3 helicopter. In addition, the helicopter had been modified via Supplemental Type Certificate to replace the pilot-side windshield with a polycarbonate kit that offered increased resistance to windshield penetration by a bird strike. METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATIONA review of moon d
Probable cause
The helicopter’s inflight collision with cackling geese, resulting in an inflight breakup.
More accidents in OK
- Cessna 421C, Sep 4, 1983
- Cessna 421C, Dec 21, 1995
- Extra EA 400, Aug 4, 2018
- Piper PA-32R-300, Sep 5, 2009
- Cessna 500, Mar 4, 2008
Browse: Oklahoma · 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.
