Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4 accident near Mitchell, Indiana, October 17, 2023
On October 17, 2023 at about 6:50 pm local time, a 2006 Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4, registered N490AE, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Mitchell, Indiana (Virgil I Grissom Municipal Air airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inflight collision with a bird while in cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2023 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Mitchell, Indiana · Virgil I Grissom Municipal Air · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4, built 2006 · all 206L-4s on the register
- Registration
- N490AE · registry record · serial 52336
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
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.
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 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Birdstrike during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Ability to respond/compensate
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Animal(s)/bird(s) › Effect on equipment
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 2,106 hours in all; 114 in this make and model; 38 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 1,992 as pilot in command; 180 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 1, 2023
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,344.2 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, October 8, 2023
- Maximum gross weight: 4,450 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls Royce 250-C30P (turboshaft); 7,353 hours total
- Operator: Air Evac Ms Inc
The flight
- Departed from: 81II Indianapolis IN at 7:15 pm
- Destination: Paoli IN
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,300 ft; clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.10 inHg
- Observation at 2:35 pm from BFR, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
4 documents, released by the NTSB on December 7, 2023. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Memorandum of Correspondence | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Avian Identification Results | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 4 | Photos | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.