Geese may to be blame for deadly helicopter crash in Oklahoma, NTSB says

HYDRO, Okla. — Three men were killed in mid-January in a medical helicopter crash near Hydro, Oklahoma, and the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report suggests that geese may have been the cause of the crash.

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The three people killed in the Jan. 20 crash involving an Air Evac Helicopter were pilot Russell Haslam, flight nurse Adam Tebben and flight paramedic Steven Fitzgerald the Air Evac Lifeteam confirmed, according to KWTV. The team was returning to base after bringing a patient to Oklahoma City.

The crash happened just after 11 p.m. The control center lost contact with the helicopter, the news outlet reported.

The NTSB and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash, KFOR reported.

“Air Evac Lifeteam is heartbroken to report that three crew members have perished in an incident that occurred on Saturday, January 20. At 11:23 pm local time AEL’s Operations Control Center (OCC) lost contact with the aircraft, a Bell 206L3 with call sign N295AE. The crew is based out of Weatherford, OK, and was returning to base after completing a patient care transport in Oklahoma City when the OCC lost contact with them. Nearby AEL teams assisted local law enforcement with the search,” the Air Evac Lifeteam said in a statement obtained by the news outlet.

A review of the US Air Force’s Avian Hazard Advisory System found that the possibility of bird activity was “low” around where the accident happened, the NTSB said, according to KFOR.

“The carcasses of several geese were located in the debris field as well as one embedded in a flight control servo. Samples of the geese feathers were recovered for more detailed identification,” NTSB said, according to the news outlet.

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