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CEN25LA266

2025-07-18 · Bloomington, Illinois, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BMI

Current FAA registration · N975TR

Make / Model
BELL 206B
Year of manufacture
1974 · 51 years old at event
Engine
ALLISON 250 SER 400HP (400 hp)
Seats / Engines
5 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
20220614
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AD97F1

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot’s failure to avoid power lines during an aerial application flight.

Factual narrative

The pilot reported that he was completing an aerial application flight in the helicopter. During a spray pass, he noticed a car on the nearby road, so he slowed the helicopter to avoid the applicant drifting onto the car. He then noticed power lines in front of him and attempted to fly underneath them but collided with the lower line. The pilot lost control of the helicopter which impacted in a field and came to rest on its left side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. The pilot added that he was not aware of the powerlines before the flight, even though he had sprayed this field many times before. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Identification/recognition-Pilot
  • — Personnel issues-Action/decision-Info processing/decision-Decision making/judgment-Pilot
  • — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Wire-Awareness of condition

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2025_CEN25LA266.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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