The rotorcraft accidents and incidents listed below occurred between October 1, 2018, and December 31, 2018. All details were obtained through the official websites listed below, where you can learn more information about each mishap.
- Australia – Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)
- Britain – Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB)
- Canada – Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSBC)
- New Zealand – Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC)
- United States – National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
October 2018
Robinson R44
Bodaybo, IRK, Russia
10-01-2018 | NTSB ANC19WA001
2 fatalities | Type of flight unknown
Helicopter collided with power transmission line and subsequently impacted water and sank.
AugustaWestland AW139
Brisbane, QLD, Australia
10-03-2018 | ATSB 201806754
No fatalities | Air medical flight
Helicopter struck bird while in cruise flight.
Robinson R22
RAAF Base Tindal, NT, Australia
10-04-2018 | ATSB 201807276
No fatalities | Aerial work
Crew detected rough-running engine during flight. Resulting inspection revealed that the #3 cylinder intake valve was burnt.
Robinson R44
Cairns, QLD, Australia
10-04-2018 | ATSB 201806954
No fatalities | Charter flight
Crew detected technical issue during flight and returned aircraft to originating airport.
Robinson R44
Salinas, CA, USA
10-06-2018 | NTSB WPR19LA002
No injuries | Personal flight
Forced landing into field after loss of engine power post-takeoff.
Enstrom F-28
Bridgeville, DE, USA
10-07-2018 | NTSB ERA19LA005
No injuries | Sightseeing flight
Helicopter impacted terrain after loss of control because of decaying rotor rpm.
Amateur-Built Aircraft
Hidden Valley, NT, Australia
10-13-18 | ATSB 201807272
1 injury | Aerial mustering flight
Tail rotor made contact with tree, resulting in forced landing that substantially damaged the helicopter.
Robinson R44
Derrinallum, VIC, Australia
10-13-18 | ATSB 201807259
1 injury | Agricultural flight
Helicopter struck power lines, and the pilot conducted a forced landing.
Robinson R22
Fulton, MO, USA
10-17-2018 | NTSB CEN19FA009
1 fatality | Training flight
Helicopter was destroyed when it impacted terrain during solo training flight.
Hughes 369D
Wanaka, OTA, New Zealand
10-18-2018 | TAIC AO-2018-009
3 fatalities | Commercial flight
Helicopter doors accidentally opened midflight, and a loose article of clothing was drawn out and became entangled in the tail rotor blades. The helicopter subsequently impacted terrain.
Eurocopter EC120B
Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, QC, Canada
10-19-2018 | TSBC A18Q0186
1 fatality | Personal flight
Helicopter crashed in forest during last quarter of VFR flight.
Robinson R44
Kaneohe, HI, USA
10-22-2018 | NTSB WPR19LA013
3 injuries | Sightseeing flight
Helicopter substantially damaged during hard landing after pilot lost control.
Bell UH-1H
Vermaaklikheid, ZA-WC, South Africa
10-23-2018 | NTSB WPR19WA015
1 fatality | Firefighting flight
Helicopter impacted terrain during firefighting mission.
AugustaWestland AW169
Leicester, LCE, United Kingdom
10-27-2018 | AAIB Special Bulletin S1/2018 on Agusta AW169, G-VSKP
5 fatalities | Air taxi flight
Loss of yaw control on rearward flight path after tail rotor control-system malfunction. Helicopter impacted ground and was engulfed in postimpact fire.
Bell OH-58A
Carson City, NV, USA
10-27-2018 | NTSB GAA19CA039
No fatalities | Type of flight unknown
No summary provided.
Rotorway Exec 162F
Passaic, MO, USA
10-27-2018 | NTSB CEN19LA016
No injuries | Personal flight
Helicopter bounced and turned sideways during emergency landing.
Aerospatiale AS350
Odanah, WI, USA
10-29-2018 | NTSB CEN19FA018
1 fatality | Aerial observation flight
Helicopter impacted trees and terrain before being consumed in postcrash fire.
Aerospatiale AS355 F2
Beekmantown, NY, USA
10-30-2018 | NTSB ERA19FA035
2 injuries, 2 fatalities | External load flight
Helicopter impacted utility pole multiple times in strong wind conditions before rolling upside down into adjacent power lines and catching fire.
November 2018
Bell 47G
Wichita Falls, TX, USA
11-02-2018 | NTSB WPR19LA019
2 injuries | Training flight
After five autorotations in traffic pattern, the helicopter experienced loss of engine power during hydraulics-off autorotation. During attempted emergency landing, the aircraft impacted nearby power lines before colliding with terrain.
Hughes 369
McDougal, AR, USA
11-02-2018 | NTSB CEN19FA020
2 injuries, 1 fatality | External load flight
Helicopter impacted utility pole and collided with terrain during utility line operation.
Robinson R44 Raven II
Buckinghamshire, BKM, United Kingdom
11-02-2018 | AAIB investigation to Robinson R44 Raven II, G-FLYX
2 injuries | Training flight
Helicopter tilted to the right and rolled over during training flight.
Bell 206
Uvalde, TX, USA
11-04-2018 | NTSB CEN19FA024
3 fatalities | Personal flight
The helicopter collided with the side of a 1,450-ft hill during a late-night flight, 5 miles east of departure point.
Bell 412
West Rockhampton, QLD, Australia
11-05-2018 | ATSB 201808484
No injuries | Air medical flight
Helicopter drifting resulted in equipment on the strop colliding with fence.
Eurocopter EC130
Batman Park Heliport, VIC, Australia
11-10-2018 | ATSB 201808058
No injuries | Air charter flight
The helicopter struck a pigeon while landing.
Robinson R44
Lihue, HI, USA
11-10-2018 | NTSB GAA19CA066
Injuries unknown, fatalities unknown | Type of flight unknown
No summary provided.
Guimbal Cabri
Newberg, OR, USA
11-13-18 | NTSB GAA19CA056
No fatalities | Type of flight unknown
No summary provided.
Bell OH-58C
Clanton, AL, USA
11-16-18 | NTSB ERA19FA047
2 fatalities | Positioning flight
Helicopter flying low over a river struck power lines and subsequently collided with water.
Robinson R44
Knox City, TX, USA
11-18-2018 | NTSB GAA19CA063
No fatalities | Type of flight unknown
No summary provided.
No helicopter model provided
Townsville, QLD, Australia
11-20-2018 | ATSB 201808304
No injuries | Military flight
The helicopter struck a flying fox during hover.
No helicopter model provided
Townsville, QLD, Australia
11-20-2018 | ATSB 201808476
No injuries | Military flight
The helicopter struck a bat during hover.
Eurocopter EC120
La Romana, DO-12, Dominican Republic
11-22-2018 | NTSB ERA19WA054
5 fatalities | Commercial flight
No summary provided.
Robinson R22 Beta
North of Ruby Gap Nature Park, NT, Australia
11-24-2018 | ATSB AO-2018-077
1 injury, 1 fatality | Aerial work flight
Helicopter collided with terrain 130 km ENE of Alice Springs Airport. The pilot was fatally injured, the passenger seriously injured, and the helicopter was destroyed.
Bell 407GX
West Bangkala, SN, Indonesia
11-28-2018 | NTSB WPR19WA038
2 injuries | Noncommercial flight
Helicopter sustained substantial damage while executing a precautionary landing.
December 2018
Unknown Sikorsky Model
Broome, WA, Australia
12-06-2018 | ATSB 201808786
No injuries | Charter flight
Evidence of bird-strike detected during post-flight inspection.
Robinson R44
Wollongong, NSW, Australia
12-15-2018 | ATSB 201808974
No injuries | Aerial work flight
Engine lost partial power during initial climb. The helicopter steadily descended and landed at a helipad. Engineering inspection revealed #4 cylinder exhaust push rod was bent, and #1 and #4 exhaust valves were tight.
Robinson R44
Millaroo, QLD, Australia
12-19-2018 | ATSB 201809026
Unknown injuries | Agricultural flight
During aerial agricultural operations, the helicopter collided with terrain, resulting in substantial damage.
Robinson R22
Delamere Air Range, NT, Australia
12-31-2018 | ATSB 201809132
Unknown injuries | Private flight
Helicopter encountered strong gust of wind and collided with terrain.
