Five Killed in Two Bell 206 Accidents

A Bell 206L3 owned and operated by Petroleum Helicopters crashed on its way to an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico on October 10, killing the pilot and two passengers aboard. According to the FAA, shortly after takeoff from Lake Charles, La., the helicopter crashed after it entered a “large storm.” Four days later, on October 14, the two people aboard a Weyerhaeuser Bell 206B were killed when the aircraft hit a powerline, overturned and crashed into the Siuslaw River near Eugene, Ore. The helicopter was being operated under contract to the Oregon Department of Forestry at the time of the accident. Weather was day VFR.