Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 accident near Thibodaux, LA
On July 23, 2025, a Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 (helicopter) was involved in an accident near Thibodaux, LA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- July 23, 2025
- Place
- Thibodaux, LA
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron 206L-1 · Helicopter
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 29.801°N, 90.774°W
- NTSB ID
- 20250723200614
Official records · CEN25FA281
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 23, 2025, about 0635 central daylight time, a Bell Helicopter 206L-1, N2611, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Thibodaux, Louisiana. The pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 137 agricultural application flight. The operator reported that the pilot and ground support crew relocated the helicopter from the operator’s base in Abbeville, Louisiana, to Thibodaux on the afternoon before the accident. According to ADS-B data, the pilot landed about 1803. No ADS-B data was recorded for the helicopter on the day of the accident. The accident occurred during the first application flight of the day while the pilot was applying pesticide to a sugar cane field. The operator noted that on the day of the accident, the pilot and ground crew met about 0530. Data recovered from an Ag-Nav unit onboard the helicopter revealed that the pilot departed from the overnight location in Thibodaux about 0629. The pilot flew to a temporary operating area which was about 0.35 nm south of the field to be sprayed. At 0634:43, the pilot departed from the temporary operating area and proceeded to the field to be sprayed. At 0635:40, the helicopter was aligned with the spray field, and the spray system was on. At that time, the helicopter altitude was about 59 ft mean sea level and it was traveling about 49 miles per hour. The final Ag-Nav data point was recorded at 0653:42. At that time, the helicopter was about 0.50 nm from the power lines and at an altitude of about 43 ft. No additional position
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance to powerlines during an agricultural application pass.
More accidents in LA
- Sikorsky S-76C, Jan 4, 2009
- Cessna 411A, May 8, 1986
- Piper PA 31T, Dec 28, 2019
- Beech E90, Jun 24, 2005
- Bell 206L-3, May 10, 1994
Browse: Louisiana
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
