Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4 N490AE

Summary

On 17 October 2023 at about 18:50 local time, a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4 registered N490AE, operated by Air Evac MS Inc, was involved in an accident near Mitchell, Indiana, United States. 3 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 October 2023 at 18:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Mitchell, Indiana, United States

Nearest airport

Virgil I Grissom Municipal Air (BFR)

Coordinates

38.7697, -86.4192

Aircraft

Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4

Registration

N490AE

Category

Helicopter

Year built

2006

Engines

1

Operator

Air Evac MS Inc

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Indianapolis → Paoli

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN24LA017

Nobody was injured.

The inflight collision with a bird while in cruise flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The air medical flight departed from a hospital and was enroute to the operator’s base of operation. About 30 minutes after departure, while in cruise flight, at an airspeed of about 109 kts and an altitude of about 1,058 ft above ground level, the helicopter encountered a bird strike with a black vulture (Coragyps atratus). A heavy vibration ensued, and the pilot performed an off-airport landing to a field. The helicopter sustained substantial damage, which was a bent pitch change link for the main rotor system, from the bird strike. There was no mechanical malfunction/failure of the helicopter that would have precluded normal operations.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.