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Category: <span>Bell</span>

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Heroic Tragic Firefighting Copter Crash: NSW


Click to view full size photo at jetphotos.net
Contact photographer Matthew Southwell

What: NSW Rural Fire Service Bell B206L-1 LongRanger II performing bushfire surveillance
Where: 5km SE of Dorrigo, on the mid-north coast, NSW Australia
When: Dec 9. 2009 11:30 am
Who: Pilot and passenger
Why: While conducting bushfire surveillance while fighting a fire, the helicopter went down in the rainforest. The passenger, a 41-year-old National Parks and Wildlife Service ranger died. He had been a ranger for 12 years.

In Dorrigo Hospital, the pilot is fighting for his life, after sustaining critical chest, head and back injuries. He will be airlifted to a major hospital later on Wednesday

The pilot has over 3000 flying hours. This is the third serious firefighting helicopter incident in the past 48 hours.

1,500 firefighters continue to fight the fire caused by dry conditions and lightning strikes. Unrelated to the helicopter crash, other individuals have been injured in the fire.


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Rotorcraft Leasing Loses Bell Helicopter off Oil Rig

What: Rotorcraft Leasing Co BELL 206L-1 Helicopter en route from oil rig to oil rig
Where: 75 miles southeast of Galveston in the Gulf of Mexico, listed as “high island Texas”
When: Monday, November 2nd, 2009
Who: 2
Why: After crashing, the helicopter’s floats were deployed; and a boat was involved in the rescue. Both men were hospitalized with injuries.

It is a good thing there were witnesses since beacon gear protection has been diminished.


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Helicopter Crash, Saltillo Mexico


Pictured: A Bell 206 in Mexico
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Jonathan Parra

What: RCG Radio y Television Saltillo Bell 206
Where: Saltillo, Coahuila Mexico
When: October 30 2009
Who: 4 on board, three of them seriously injured.
Why: Apparently the plane crashed due to a short circuit in the rotor, hit a roof and burst into flame. Individuals inside were evacuated. So far, no fatalities have been reported.


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Florida Sheriff Emergency Landing


Pictured: a Marion County Sheriff Department Bell OH-58A Kiowa
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact JLS Photo

What: Marion County Sheriff’s helicopter returning from a call in the southwest area of Marion county
Where: Ocala Airport
When: Saturday 10/10/2009
Who: Sheriff’s Office pilots Peter Rogers and Michael Turner
Why: While returning from a call, the helicopter lost power. They managed to land at Ocala airport.

According to Marion County Sheriff Ofc. website, Marion County Sheriff Department flies Bell OH-58A Kiowa.

The NTSB is investigating.


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Bird Strikes Pilot in the Face


What: Northern Colorado Med-Evac Bell 407 Helicopter en route from Greeley to a hospital south of Denver
Where: two miles from Swedish Medical Center (landed at Centennial Airport)
When: 1:10 a.m. Sunday May 17
Who: The 4 people aboard were uninjured.
Why: The helicopter made an emergency landing after a bird strike left a small hole in the front windshield. The bird actually struck the pilot in the face and ended up on the floor of the helicopter.

The pilot and passengers were not injured. No word on the bird’s condition.

The helicopter was repaired and is back in service. The neurology patient was driven the rest of the way to the hospital.

George’s Point of View

I love birds, but I wish they would stay away from our aircraft.


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Helicopter Fatality in McPherson


Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Ted Quackenbush
What: Bell 206 registered to Hillcrest Aircraft Company en route from Ogallala, Nebraska to Wichita. to Virginia for the U.S. Forest Service.
Where: Buckskin Road between 19th and 20th Avenues in McPherson County, 40 miles north of Wichita.
When: 2:45 p.m. Sunday March 8, 2009
Who: Pilot Roger Hershner was the only one aboard.
Why: The helicopter crashed after being in route for 2 hours; the crash is under investigation.


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PHI Medical Evacuation Emergency Landing


What: PHI Bell 407 medical helicopter
Where: emergency landing about 11 miles south of Lafayette–a parking lot at U.S. 231 and Indiana 28 in Romney
When: Monday afternoon
Who: A pilot, nurse, paramedic and patient
Why: The PHI Bell 407 medical helicopter a patient when it was forced to land due to a mechanical problem Monday afternoon. An ambulance carried the patient to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Lafayette.


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Longtime Traffic Guy Paul Cavanaugh Survives Hard Landing, Broken Chopper


What: CBS Sky 12 Bell Ranger III traffic helicopter
Where: 1000 W. Industrial Avenue
When: Tuesday November 11, 2008 at 6:11 a.m
Who: Pilot, Takayuki Tanaka and television and radio traffic reporter Paul Cavanaugh, both transported to Bethesda Hospital with minor injuries.
Why: After the pilot reported an engine problem, he attempted to land at a Boynton Beach industrial park. Witnesses said the helicopter”did not have full power.”

The rear rotor assembly was cutoff at mid-shaft. The news organization calls this incident a “hard landing”


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Houston TV station KTRK Crash and Burn has Two Fatalities

What: Bell 206L-4 SkyEye 13 news chopper
Where: on property owned by The Woodlands Development Company,heavily wooded area East of the W.E. Jones State Forest in southwest Montgomery County.
When: Monday morning between 10 a.m. and 11 a.m
Who: Pilot John Downhower, 43, and photographer Dave Garrett, 36. Downhower worked for Helicopters Inc., which operated the Bell 206L-4, and Garrett worked for Metro News on assignment for Houston TV station KTRK
Why: Pilot and phtographer were en route to cover an officer-involved shooting when the accident occurred. On impact, the helicopter broke into pieces and burst into flames, Both men were pronounced the men dead at the scene, and both suffered massive trauma. One body was charred. The bodies were taken to the Southeast Texas Forensic Center in Conroe

Memorial service for Downhower: 11 a.m. Friday at Fellowship of The Woodlands, One Fellowship Drive.
Garrett’s funeral: 11 a.m. Saturday at River Pointe Community Church, 5000 Ransom Road, in Richmond.

A fund has been established for Garrett’s son:
Adam Ryan Garrett Educational Fund
P.O. Box 1811
Sugar Land, Texas 77478-1811.


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Helicopter Crashes in Dubai Killing 7


What: Aerogulf Bell 212 helicopter flying from Dubai International Airport to one of the oil fields in the Gulf Sea. The helicopter was leased to the oil company by the aircraft firm Aerogulf,
Where: Crashed into an oil platform off the Duba Coast 50 NM west of Dubai Airport
When: Sept 3–20:23 local time
Who: two pilots and five contractors working for British oil and gas services company Petrofac: an American, a Briton, two Indians, a Pakistani, one Filipino and a Venezuelan.
Why: The British pilot lost control during take off, hit a crane crashed and exploded wednesday on a recently installed Resilient jack-up oil rig. After the helicopter propellers hit the crane, the aircraft split in two; half smashed on to the rig, while the other half fell into the sea.

The rig is owned by AP Moller-Maersk but operated by Petrofac on behalf of state-owned Dubai Petroleum. Production in one of Dubai’s four oil fields has been suspended. The engine and the gear box have been found.

So far five of the bodies have been identified; one report says only two of the bodies need identification by DNA testing. All of the victims were contracted personnel.


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Ciudad: Bell Helicopter Crash kills pilot


Pictured: a Bell 47G
Click to view full size photo at Airliners.net
Contact photographer Jonathan Parra

What: single-engine Bell 47G helicopter en route from Brownsville Texas to Ciudad Victoria, Mexico
Where: Ciudad Victoria, Mexico
When: May 12, 2007 12:35 central daylight time
Who: Commercial pilot
Why: Single-engine Bell 47G helicopter collided with the terrain under unknown circumstances near Ciudad Victoria, State of Tamaulipas, in the Republic of Mexico. The helicopter was on a ferry flight to its new owner in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The flight originated in Brownsville, Texas, at 11:15, and was destined to an intermediate refueling stop at Ciudad Victoria, Mexico.

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