Recent Accidents & Incidents

The rotorcraft accidents and incidents listed below occurred from Apr. 1 to Jun. 30, 2021.

The accident details shown are preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. All information was obtained through the official websites included below, where you can learn more details about each event.

Australia – Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)

Canada – Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSBC):

United States – National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)

April 2021

Robinson R66

Palmyra, PA, USA
Apr. 3, 2021 | NTSB N577DD
1 injury, 0 fatalities | Personal flight
Helicopter substantially damaged after loss of control during attempted landing.

Robinson R44

Johnson, KS, USA
Apr. 5, 2021 | NTSB N8348X
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Personal flight
Helicopter substantially damaged after loss of control during transition to a hover at low altitude while inspecting a wheat field.

Eurocopter EC120

LeRoy, KS, USA
Apr. 9, 2021 | NTSB N421PB
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Personal flight
Helicopter substantially damaged during attempted autorotation to an open field after pilot-reported low rotor rpm.

Robinson R44

Forkston, PA, USA
Apr. 22, 2021 | NTSB N4055N
0 injuries, 1 fatality | Personal flight
Helicopter crashed in a remote location; radar data revealed snow showers in vicinity.

Agusta A119

Nuevo Laredo, Mexico
Apr. 23, 2021 | NTSB N119AA
0 injuries, 1 fatality | Flight type unknown
No description available.

Airbus AS350 B2

Griffith Island, Nunavut, Canada
Apr. 25, 2021 | TSB A21C0038
0 injuries, 3 fatalities | Flight type unknown
Helicopter impacted snow-covered terrain and was destroyed during post-crash fire.

Bell 429

Eden, NC, USA
Apr. 28, 2021 | NTSB N53DE
2 injuries, 1 fatality | Aerial observation flight
During a low-altitude power-line patrol, helicopter descended into trees and crashed due to unknown reasons.

May 2021

Precision Helicopters UH-1H

Rayón, Mexico
May 2, 2021 | NTSB N1206G
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Flight type unknown
No description available.

Robinson R44

Wingate, NC, USA
May 2, 2021 | NTSB N4528T
0 injuries, 1 fatality | Agricultural flight
Helicopter crashed during aerial application flight with preliminary evidence of a wire strike.

Robinson R22

Durban, South Africa
May 3, 2021 | NTSB ZS-HBR
0 injuries, 1 fatality | Flight type unknown
No description available.

MD Helicopters 369FF

Mesa, AZ, USA
May 5, 2021 | NTSB N6068S
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Instructional flight
No description available.

McDonnell Douglas 369FF

Palm Gardens, NV, USA
May 6, 2021 | NTSB N972BW
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | External-load flight
No description available.

Robinson R44

Estepona, Spain
May 7, 2021 | UNK
0 injuries, 1 fatality | Flight type unknown
No description available.

Robinson R44

Belo Horizonte, Brazil
May 8, 2021 | PR-RDR
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Flight type unknown
No description available.

Enstrom F-28F

Palmer, AK, USA
May 9, 2021 | NTSB N8627J
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Air tour flight
Helicopter substantially damaged during autorotative landing.

Richards Heavylift Helo UH-1H

Norris City, IL, USA
May 10, 2021 | NTSB N567VF
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Agricultural flight
No description available.

Airbus AS350 B2

Les Escoumins, Quebec, Canada
May 11, 2021 | TSB A21Q0024
1 injury, 0 fatalities | External-load flight
Helicopter experienced hard landing after tail-rotor gearbox and tail rotor separated from helicopter during power-line operations.

Aérospatiale AS350 B2 Écureuil

Yukon, OK, USA
May 12, 2021 | NTSB N841BP
2 injuries, 0 fatalities | Instructional flight
During low-altitude training, helicopter experienced loss of control, impacted terrain, and was destroyed during post-crash fire.

Robinson R22

New South Wales, Australia
May 26, 2021 | ATSB AO-2021-020
0 injuries, 1 fatality | Aerial mustering flight
Helicopter sustained significant damage following collision with terrain during aerial mustering flight.

Leonardo AW139

New South Wales, Australia
May 30, 2021 | ATSB AO-2021-022
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Air medical flight
Helicopter experienced tail-rotor strike during night-vision goggles–aided, confined-area landing to an unimproved area.

June 2021

Schweizer (Hughes) TH-55A/269A

Monroe, LA, USA
Jun. 3, 2021 | NTSB CEN21LA253
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Instructional flight
No description available.

AgustaWestland AW139

Mangalore Airport, Victoria, Australia
Jun. 6, 2021 | ATSB AO-2021-023
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Air medical flight
Helicopter pilot responded to a TCAS (traffic collision avoidance system) alert and successfully maneuvered to avoid a fixed-wing aircraft performing a missed-approach procedure.

Bell 214ST

Nipigon, Ontario, Canada
Jun. 8, 2021 | NTSB GAA21WA138
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Firefighting flight
No description available.

Robinson R44 II

Reserve, LA, USA
Jun. 10, 2021 | NTSB CEN21LA284
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Personal flight
Helicopter sustained substantial damage following a loss of power during takeoff.

Robinson R44

Auckland, New Zealand
Jun. 12, 2021 | NTSB GAA21WA143
Injuries unknown, fatalities unknown | Personal flight
No description available.

Robinson R44 II

Sylva, NC, USA
Jun. 14, 2021 | NTSB ERA21LA252
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Instructional flight
No description available.

Bell UH-1H

Townsend, MT, USA
Jun. 15, 2021 | NTSB WPR21LA236
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Public aircraft
No description available.

Robinson R44

Eidanger, Norway
Jun. 17, 2021 | NTSB GAA21WA145
Injuries unknown, fatalities unknown | Flight type unknown
No description available.

McDonnell Douglas 369E

Swan Lake, NY, USA
Jun. 18, 2021 | NTSB ERA21LA262
2 injuries, 0 fatalities | External-load flight
During external-load operations and electrical tower repair, pilot and lineman reported loud bangs before helicopter descended and impacted terrain.

Bell 407

Tampa, FL, USA
Jun. 21, 2021 | NTSB ERA21LA264
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Instructional flight
No description available.

Garlick OH-58A+

Alpine, AL, USA
Jun. 25, 2021 | NTSB ERA21LA269
0 injuries, 1 fatality | Agricultural flight
Helicopter crashed with preliminary evidence of a wire strike during aerial application.

Cabri G2

Lostallo, Switzerland
Jun. 26, 2021 | NTSB GAA21WA190
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Flight type unknown
No description available.

Robinson R44

Yalta, Ukraine
Jun. 27, 2021 | NTSB GAA21WA157
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Flight type unknown
No description available.

Robinson R66

Waxhaw, NC, USA
Jun. 27, 2021 | NTSB ERA21LA270
0 injuries, 0 fatalities | Agricultural flight
No description available.

Bell 47G-2A-1

Brasstown, NC, USA
Jun. 28, 2021 | NTSB ERA21LA272
1 injury, 0 fatalities | Personal flight
No description available.

Bell 212

Evansburg, Alberta, Canada
Jun. 28, 2021 | TSB A21W0045
0 injuries, 1 fatality | Firefighting flight
Helicopter experienced in-flight main rotor separation during firefighting operations and crashed.

Bell 206

Rome, NY, USA
Jun. 29, 2021 | NTSB ERA21LA275
3 injuries, 0 fatalities | Instructional flight
Helicopter substantially damaged after hard landing and rollover during autorotation training and attempted power recovery.