Collision with geese may have caused deadly Air Evac helicopter crash
Federal investigators have released a preliminary report into the helicopter crash that killed three Air Evac crew members last month, revealing evidence of a possible bird strike.
While the National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report doesn't come to any conclusions about the cause, the investigator said several dead geese were found near the crash site in an open pasture in rural western Oklahoma. The carcass of another goose was found embedded in a mechanism that controls the movement of flight control surfaces.
Investigators will keep the helicopter for further examination. A final report can take board months or years to complete.
The crash occurred before midnight on Jan. 20 near Hydro. The crew, which included pilot Russell Haslam, paramedic Steven Fitzgerald and flight nurse Adam Tebben, had just dropped off a patient at Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City before heading west to an Air Evac base in Weatherford.
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Several pieces of the Bell 206 helicopter's propulsion system were found scattered around the crash site, including the transmission, main rotor hub and blades. The safety board said one of the blades was found in an adjacent field.
The report notes that according to the U.S. Air Force’s Avian Hazard Advisory System, the probability of bird activity in that area was considered low.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: NTSB crash report: Deadly Air Evac crash may have been caused by geese
