NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ERA25LA027
Registry · N54AE
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON 206L-1
Year of manufacture
1978 · 46 years old at event
TCDS
H2SW · BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA LTD
Engine
ALLISON 250 SER 250HP (250 hp)
Seats / Engines
7 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19780628
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A6D598
Registrant of record
AIR EVAC EMS INC
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
An in-flight collision with a bird while in cruise flight.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that during the enroute portion of the flight, a large bird impacted the top of the helicopter’s fuselage and main rotor, resulting in substantial damage to a pitch control link and a subsequent vibration. The pilot elected to make a precautionary landing in a nearby field and was able to land uneventfully. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- — Environmental issues-Physical environment-Object/animal/substance-Animal(s)/bird(s)-Effect on equipment
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2024_ERA25LA027.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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