Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407 incident near Marion, Virginia, August 31, 2010
On August 31, 2010, a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407, registered N516MT, was involved in an incident during enroute near Marion, Virginia (Smyth County Community Hospita airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 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 cardiac impairment of the pilot during a positioning flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 31, 2010
- Place
- Marion, Virginia · Smyth County Community Hospita · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407 · all 407s on the register
- Registration
- N516MT · registry record · serial 53762
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During a positioning flight shortly after takeoff, the pilot began to have chest pains and he informed the on-board medical crew that he would be returning to the departure heliport. He landed uneventfully at the heliport and was then airlifted by a company helicopter to a hospital in Tennessee for medical treatment.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during enroute defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Physical › Impairment/incapacitation › Cardiovascular › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,975 hours in all; 28 in the last 90 days; 4 in the last 30 days; 12,160 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 25, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,379 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 29, 2010
- Maximum gross weight: 5,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royc 250-C47B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
- Operator: Med-Trans CORP
The flight
- Departed from: VG41 Marion VA
- Destination: 22VA Wytheville VA
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.42 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket 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.