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Investigators found the carcasses of several geese within the debris field of a Bell 206 air ambulance crash near Hydro, Oklahoma and one was embedded in a flight control servo. The crash killed three people and the NTSB investigation is ongoing.
On Jan. 20 a Bell 206L-3 Helicopter (N295AE) was returning from dropping a patient off at Mercy Health Center Heliport (OL16) in Oklahoma City. The crew was heading to the home base, the Air Evac 112 Heliport (4OK1) in Weatherford. The company's GPS monitoring program stopped tracking the helicopter and a search began. The wreckage was found in an open pasture roughly 1.5 miles east of Hydro. The ADS-B data captured the flight leaving OL16 and flying west to Weatherford between 500 feet and 600 feet above ground level and about 110 knots groundspeed. The final ADS-B point was about 210 feet east of the main wreckage location.
All major components of the copter were found at the crash site and the main wreckage included the fuselage, engine and tail rotor. The transmission separated from the fuselage and was found at the site. The white main rotor blade was fractured and found in a nearby field. The red main rotor blade was also fractured and found near the main rotor hub. The mast nut had separated and was found in the debris field.
Investigators found several geese carcasses in the debris field and one embedded in the flight control servo. Samples of the geese feathers were recovered for a detailed identification. The NTSB said a review of the U.S. Air Force's Avian Hazard Advisory System found that the probability of bird activity in the area was low.
Air Evac Lifeteam operated the helicopter.
"Thank you for all the support and love you have shown the Air Evac family during this difficult time," Air Evac said in a social media post. "It is with a very heavy heart we share that three of our colleagues, Pilot Russell Haslam, Flight Nurse Adam Tebben and Medic Steven FitzGerald passed away in an air accident on the evening of January 20. Please continue to hold all of their families in your hearts. Russell, Adam and Steven, we miss you so much. We'll take it from here. "RELATED STORY:‘Miracle on Hudson' leads to new FAA rule on bird-strike testing
Wildlife strikes result in hundreds of fatalities around the world and billions of dollars in aircraft damage. The famous "Miracle on the Hudson" flight on Jan. 15, 2009 stuck a flock of Canada Geese and the engines suffered a total loss of thrust, forcing Captain "Sully" Sullenberger to ditch the plane on the Hudson two minutes after takeoff, saving all 155 on board. The FAA takes action to try and mitigate the unavoidable risks of sharing an airspace with birds. Wildlife strikes are increasing, with about 272,000 strikes with civil aircraft reported in the U.S. between 1990 and 2022, with about 17,000 strikes at 693 U.S. airports in 2022.
Wildlife hazard and risk mitigation on or around airports involved a range of focus areas, including habitat management; wildlife dispersal, removal and exclusion; detection or prediction of wildlife and behavior so planes can avoid high-risk activities, both temporally and spatially; and enhanced aircraft detection and avoidance by birds through novel aircraft lighting schemes. Pilots can report strikes or search the database by airport, aircraft or engine type, and what type of bird or other wildlife was involved. Other animals included in the database are alligators, snakes, dogs, squirrels and pigs. Bird feathers can also be submitted to the Smithsonian Institution's Feather Lab for identification.
The NTSB has not named a probable cause in the crash but the investigation is ongoing and a final report will be released in one to two years.