Bell 407 accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, December 15, 2025
On December 15, 2025 at about 10:18 am local time, a 2000 Bell 407 (helicopter), registered N404LL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a business flight under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Tail rotor blade impact from an unidentified object at an undetermined time.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 15, 2025 · about 10:18 am local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bell 407, built 2000 · all 407s on the register
- Registration
- N404LL · registry record · serial 53446
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The aircrew conducted an air medical flight and landed at a hospital, received a patient from the hospital, and flew the patient to a different medical facility. During the post-flight inspection of the helicopter following the second flight, a dent was found in the vertical stabilizer, and a dent was found in one of the tail rotor blades, which was substantial damage. The time and source of the damage was not determined.
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
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during unknown defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft propeller/rotor › Tail rotor › Tail rotor blade › Damaged/degraded
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: single-engine land; instructor: helicopter; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,043 hours in all; 590 in this make and model; 43 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 5,984 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 6, 2025
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Passenger
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,246 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 20, 2025
- Maximum gross weight: 5,250 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 250-C47B (turboshaft); 4,783 hours total
- Operator: Air Methods LLC
The flight
- Departed from: Fort Mojave AZ at 8:38 am
- Flight plan: VFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 23°F (-5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 am from KLAS, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 2 | |||
| Flig | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR26LA062.