Piper PA-28RT-201T and Eurocopter EC135 mid-air collision near Oberhausen-Rheinhausen, De, January 23, 2018
On January 23, 2018 at about 12:07 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Piper PA-28RT-201T (HBPGF) and Eurocopter EC135 (DHDRV), were involved in a mid-air collision near Oberhausen-Rheinhausen. 4 people were killed.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 23, 2018 · about 12:07 pm local time
- Place
- Oberhausen-Rheinhausen, Germany
- Type
- Accident · mid-air collision
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft 1
- Piper PA-28RT-201T 201T · all PA-28RT-201Ts on the register
- Registration
- HBPGF · no longer on the register · serial 28R-8131121
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · rules the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft 2
- Eurocopter EC135 P2 · all EC135s on the register
- Registration
- DHDRV · no longer on the register · serial 0808
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative for the Piper PA-28RT-201T preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 23, 2018, about 1207 coordinated universal time, a Piper PA-28 airplane, Swiss registration HB-PGF, collided with an Airbus-Helicopter EC135P2, German registration D-HDRV near Oberhausen-Rheinhausen, Germany. The pilots and passengers were all fatally injured and both aircraft were destroyed.The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the German government. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the German government. German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bundesstelle fuer Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) Hermann-Blenk Strasse 16 38108 Braunschweig Germany
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The NTSB's narrative for the Eurocopter EC135 preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 23, 2018, about 1207 coordinated universal time, a Piper PA-28 airplane, Swiss registration HB-PGF, collided with an Airbus-Helicopter EC135P2, German registration D-HDRV near Oberhausen-Rheinhausen, Germany. The pilots and passengers were all fatally injured and both aircraft were destroyed.The accident investigation is under the jurisdiction and control of the German government. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained from the German government. German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation Bundesstelle fuer Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) Hermann-Blenk Strasse 16 38108 Braunschweig Germany
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record for the Piper PA-28RT-201T from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Midair collision during unknown defining event
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 2,899 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Fire on the ground
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
The factual record for the Eurocopter EC135 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Midair collision during unknown defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Fire on the ground
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.