Bell Textron · Helicopter
Bell 206 JetRanger and LongRanger, Bell 505 Jet Ranger X
Is the Bell 206 JetRanger and LongRanger, Bell 505 Jet Ranger X safe? It ranks Shared rankWithin 1 point of other aircraft types: the difference is not meaningful.More in the glossary of 16 helicopters we rate, with 52 fatal accidents counted in about 13 million US flights since 2008.
Likely range 49 to 59
How the score is built
- Fatal accidents
- 52 in 12.9 million flights
4 fatal accidents per million flights. Counted: all civil flights in the United States since 2008 (private, charter, air ambulance, utility, training and other), accidents and unexplained losses; not counted: accidents outside the United States or before 2008, military, test and illegal flights, sabotage, hijackings, shoot-downs and deliberate crew acts.
- Full-loss equivalents
- 45
Each counted accident adds the share of people on board who died (1 = no survivors). This is what the score is based on.
- Flights flown
- 12.9 million
Estimated flights of all kinds in the United States since 2008. Flights of all kinds in the United States (private, training, charter and other civil use) 2008 to 3 November 2026, each counted from take-off to final landing: the hours of all US single-engine turbine helicopters in each year (active aircraft and hours from the FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey), split between types by US-registered aircraft (FAA register, 1,781 of this type in 2024) times how much each type flies against its class (0.93, mostly from airframe hours in NTSB accident records, partly from hours per aircraft seen by ADS-B receivers in 2019-2022, then matched to the FAA's own hours for this model in 2008-2021), at 0.77 hours per flight from ADS-B tracks: about 319 flights per registered aircraft per year in 2024. Flights and accidents outside the United States, or before 2008, are not used. Against the FAA's hours per helicopter model, this method is off by about 22% on a typical type. Uncertainty roughly ±20%.
- Technology generation
- Single-engine turbine helicopter
Small fleets are pulled toward the record of the other types of their generation: 3.7 full-loss equivalents per million flights over 26.6 million flights. Weight of this family's own record: 96%.
- Likely range
- 49 to 59
The score is 90% likely to lie in this range, given how few accidents a type has and the error in the estimate of its flights.
- Last fatal accident
- 23 July 2025
Jbi Helicopter Services, Inc., Thibodaux, LA, United States of America: 1 of 1 people on board died.
- Aircraft destroyed
- 37
Aircraft the NTSB coded as destroyed in an accident in the United States since 2008, fatal or not, from all causes. The NTSB codes many wrecks as only substantially damaged, so the real number is higher (context only, not in the score).
Compared with everyday risks
One flight on the Bell 206 JetRanger and LongRanger, Bell 505 Jet Ranger X carries about the same risk of death as the activities near it below.
- An hour's walk1 in 14 million
- Driving 100 miles (160 km)1 in 5.9 million
- An ordinary day: accidents and violence1 in 1 million
- A day of skiing1 in 830,000
- A scuba dive1 in 500,000
- Cycling 100 miles (160 km)1 in 430,000
- Running a marathon1 in 290,000
- One flight on the Bell 206 JetRanger and LongRanger, Bell 505 Jet Ranger XThis aircraft1 in 290,000
- A skydive1 in 250,000
- A general anaesthetic1 in 100,000
- Riding a motorbike 100 miles (160 km)1 in 83,000
Accident history
52 fatal accidents in the United States since 2008 count toward the score, with 103 people on board killed.
| Date | Flight | Killed | What happened |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jbi Helicopter Services, Inc.Bell 206L-1 · Thibodaux, LA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On the first spray run of the day over a sugar cane field near Thibodaux, Louisiana, the experienced pilot flew the Bell 206L-1 into power lines beyond the field; he died. Why he misjudged the lines was not found.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| NY HelicopterBell 206L-4 · Jersey City, NJ, United States of America | 6 killed / 6 on board | On an air tour over the Hudson River, the New York Helicopter Bell 206L-4 broke up in flight and fell inverted into the river near Jersey City; all six died. The NTSB has not published a cause.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Unknown causeNTSB docket | |
| North Wind HelicoptersBell 206B II · Mountain Home Park, WA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Flying between spray jobs through a deep canyon near Mountain Home Park, Washington, the Bell 206B struck power cables strung across the canyon and crashed; the pilot died. The investigation has not published a cause.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| PrivateBell 505 · Ririe, ID, United States of America | 1 killed / 2 on board | Searching for wildlife at low height over a frozen reservoir near Ririe, Idaho, the Bell 505's main rotor hit a power line the pilot saw too late; it fell onto the ice. The pilot died and his passenger was badly hurt. The lines were on the chart.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Air ambulanceBell 206L-3 · Owenton, KY, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | Circling low near a high school landing zone at Owenton, Kentucky, before collecting a patient, the Air Evac Bell 206L-3 likely struck a guy wire of a telecom tower and crashed; all three died. The investigation has not published a cause.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Egli Air Haul IncBell 206B · King Salmon, AK, United States of America | 1 killed / 5 on board | Taking four passengers to a fishing camp from King Salmon, Alaska, in fog, the pilot lost all visual reference over the Naknek River and the Bell 206B hit the water. One passenger died. NTSB: the decision to fly visually into fog led to disorientation and loss of control.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Xtreme Aviation LLCBell 206 · Nashua, IA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Spraying a cornfield crossed by a transmission line near Nashua, Iowa, the Bell 206B struck the power lines and came down inverted in the field; the pilot died. The lines were hard to see against the crop. The investigation has not published a cause.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Heli Works Flight Services LLCBell 206-L4 · Anaconda, MT, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Climbing out from a loading truck near Anaconda, Montana, with fertilizer, the Bell 206L-4's engine quit at 150 ft when a coupling shaft lost cooling oil and broke; too low to autorotate well, it hit flat ground and the pilot died.Type: Engine failureNTSB docket | |
| Air Evac EMS IncBell 206 · Hydro, OK, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | Returning to base at night near Hydro, Oklahoma, the Air Evac Bell 206L-3 flew into a flock of cackling geese at about 500 ft; the strikes broke the main rotor pitch links and it broke up in flight. All three died.Type: Bird strikeNTSB docket | |
| Nor Wes IncBell 206B · Denison, IA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | During an aerial application flight near Denison, Iowa, the pilot was distracted and did not see power lines; the Bell 206B hit the wires and he died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Unknown operatorBell 206-L4 · Springfield, OH, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Spraying a cornfield near Springfield, Ohio, the pilot flew the Bell 206L-4 through high-tension power lines he had passed over several times; it crashed beyond them and he died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Maritime Helicopters IncBell 206-L4 · Wainwright, AK, United States of America | 4 killed / 4 on board | Flying a state science crew low over Lake Itinik east of Wainwright, Alaska, toward featureless terrain, the pilot lost visual cues and the Bell 206L-4 hit the water; all four died. An overdue alert went unnoticed for hours.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Tennessee Dept OF SafetyBell 206B · Whiteside, TN, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | On a public-use law enforcement flight near Whiteside, Tennessee, the state Bell 206B hovered close to a marked high-tension cable 430 ft up and struck it; it spun into steep wooded ground and both officers died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| PrivateBell 206B · Livingston, TX, United States of America | 2 killed / 4 on board | On a sightseeing flight won at a charity auction, the pilot hovered over trees by a passenger's home near Livingston, Texas; the Bell 206B-3 lost tail rotor effectiveness, spun twice and fell onto a woodpile. The pilot and one passenger died.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| PrivateBell 206 · Perry, OK, United States of America | 1 killed / 2 on board | Showing a student pilot how spray runs are flown near Perry, Oklahoma, the pilot hovered at 40 ft to watch a coyote; the Bell 206B rolled left on its own and hit the ground. The pilot died. The NTSB could not find why lateral control was lost.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Ewing Flying Service LLCGarlick Helicopters OH-58A+ · Alpine, AL, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Spraying a cornfield at Alpine, Alabama, below the surrounding trees and power lines, the OH-58A's main rotor hit a fiber-optic cable strung with high-voltage lines; it went out of control and the pilot died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Tri-rotor Crop Services LLCBell OH-58A · Ulysses, KS, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On its 21st spray pass of the day over a field near Ulysses, Kansas, the OH-58A hit a power line the pilot had been avoiding all day and crashed; he died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Southwest Heliservices LLCBell 206 · Marathon, TX, United States of America | 3 killed / 4 on board | On an aerial survey near Marathon, Texas, the Bell 206B's main rotor began to vibrate violently at 800 ft and the pilot could not control it; it hit the ground short of a landing spot and burned. All three passengers died; the pilot lived.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| P J Helicopters IncBell 206 · Fairfield, CA, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | Carrying two linemen on a long line back from power line work near Fairfield, California, the Bell 206L-3 climbed into a power line 210 ft up; it fell into a ravine and the pilot and both linemen died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Vertical Flight TechnologiesBell 206 · New Salem, NC, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Spraying a field near New Salem, North Carolina, the Bell 206B hit a power line soon after lifting off a refill truck and fell into the field; the pilot died. He had flown over the line earlier.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Erickson Helicopters IncBell 206 · Ashland, OR, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Flying alone from Ashland, Oregon, to build hours for insurance, the pilot flew low along a highway into low cloud and fog without a weather briefing; he became disoriented, lost control and died.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Columbus Police DepartmentBell OH-58C · Verbena, AL, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Repositioning for maintenance, the Columbus Police OH-58C flew low over the Coosa River near Clanton, Alabama, and struck power lines spanning the river; it fell into the water and both on board died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| W T Byler CO IncBell 206 · Uvalde, TX, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | Taking off at night from a private ranch for San Antonio, the pilot flew low with the terrain warning system inhibited; the Bell 206B-3 hit a hill near Chalk Bluff Park, Uvalde County, Texas, 5 miles out, and all three died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Republic Helicopters, Inc.Bell 206B · Galveston, TX, United States of America | 1 killed / 3 on board | Flying two inspectors at night from an anchored tanker to Galveston, Texas, the pilot did not notice he was in low cloud and descended into West Bay; one passenger died. The pilot and the other passenger were found an hour later.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Smoky Mountain HelicoptersBell 206 · Pigeon Forge, TN, United States of America | 5 killed / 5 on board | On an air tour from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, the Bell 206L's engine stopped when worn splines in the fuel pump, short of grease, cut the fuel supply; it hit trees on a ridge in the autorotation and burned. All five on board died.Type: Engine failureNTSB docket | |
| Genesis HelicoptersBell 206B · Honolulu, HI, United States of America | 1 killed / 5 on board | On an air tour off Honolulu, the Bell 206B-3's engine-to-transmission drive shaft failed after maintenance done without the required grease; with low rotor rpm it hit the water hard. One of four passengers drowned, trapped in his seat.Type: System failureNTSB docket | |
| T And M Aviation, Inc.Bell 206 L-1 · Saucier, MS, United States of America | 2 killed / 3 on board | Supporting a Forest Service controlled burn near Saucier, Mississippi, the Bell 206L-1 lost power 20 ft above the tree canopy and fell into tall trees; two of three died. Fire damage left the cause of the power loss unknown.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Engine failureNTSB docket | |
| N57AW LLCBell 206 · Benson, AZ, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Repositioning from Glendale toward Sierra Vista, Arizona, to support a sheriff's office, the pilot flew on into low cloud and fog; the Bell 206L-4 hit terrain near Benson and both on board died. He had not checked the forecast well.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Air Evac EMS IncBell 206L 1 · Wichita Falls, TX, United States of America | 3 killed / 4 on board | Going around at low speed from a hospital helipad approach at night in Wichita Falls, Texas, the pilot added power and the Bell 206L-1 spun right from loss of tail rotor effectiveness; it hit power lines and the ground. Three of four died.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Applebee AviationBell 206A · Wenatchee, WA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Drying cherry trees near Wenatchee, Washington, the pilot landed the Bell 206A too hard and with sideways drift on sloping ground; it rolled over and he died. A sedating pain medicine likely contributed.Type: Hard landing or abnormal runway contactNTSB docket | |
| Westwind Helicopter LLCBell 206 L4 · South Timbalier Platform, Gulf of Mexico | 2 killed / 2 on board | Flying a passenger between oil platforms in the Gulf of Mexico, the Westwind Bell 206L-4 began to spin as it approached South Timbalier 317 and dropped into the sea; the pilot and passenger died. No pre-impact fault was found; the NTSB could not determine why control was lost.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Delta Bravo Sierra IncBell 206L 3 · Silt, CO, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | On a low-level infrared patrol of power lines south of Silt, Colorado, the Bell 206L-3 flew toward the sun into a higher line crossing its path; all three died. The pilot had not planned the route well enough to know the wire was there.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Panther Helicopters IncBell 206L 3 · Venice, LA, United States of America | 1 killed / 4 on board | Leaving an oil platform 30 miles off Venice, Louisiana, with three passengers, the Bell 206L-3's engine failed with a pop when a turbine blade broke from fatigue; it dived into the sea with floats out and one passenger died.Type: Engine failureNTSB docket | |
| Evac 109Bell 206L-1 · Manchester, KY, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | Returning to base at night after a patient transfer, the Bell 206L-1 met patchy fog near the Manchester, Kentucky, helipad; the pilot became disoriented, the main rotor and tail boom separated, and it fell into a school parking lot. All three died.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| PrivateBell 206B · Shepherd, MT, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Herding cattle at low level north of Shepherd, Montana, the Bell 206B hit power lines the pilot knew well and crashed; he died. The autopsy pointed to a sudden brain event just before the wire strike.Type: OtherNTSB docket | |
| Bureau OF Land ManagementBell 206B · Eureka, NV, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | On a federal reseeding job near Eureka, Nevada, the Bell 206B-3 hit a static line strung 40 ft above power lines on a seed run; the pilot died. He knew of the lines, and work fatigue contributed.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Orbic AirBell 206B · Acton, CA, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | Filming a reality show at night at a movie ranch in Acton, California, the pilot hovered low for a bag drop with a bright light pad in the cabin; unable to see well, he did not stop a descent and the Bell 206B hit the ground. All three died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| San Joaquin HelicoptersBell 206 · Delano, CA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Returning to Delano, California, on a dark night with fog forming, the pilot told another pilot she thought she was lost; soon after, the Bell 206B-3 hit a vineyard in a steep right turn and she died. Spatial disorientation was the cause.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| PrivateBell 206B · Crowley, LA, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Flying near Crowley, Louisiana, the pilot turned away from a broadcast tower but the Bell 206B struck one of its guy wires and fell to the ground; he died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Unknown operatorBell 206-L4 · Gulf of Mexico | 1 killed / 1 on board | Landing on a closed and obstructed platform helipad in the Gulf of Mexico, the PHI Bell 206L-4's main rotor hit an oil derrick; it fell inverted into the sea and sank, and the pilot died. The closure was not marked and the hazard not reported.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| SK JetsBell 206B · Green Cove Springs, FL, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | Flying a doctor and a technician at night to collect an organ, the SK Jets owner-pilot pressed on into low cloud without a proper weather briefing; the Bell 206B hit the ground near Green Cove Springs, Florida, and all three died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| PrivateBell 206B · New York, NY, United States of America | 2 killed / 5 on board | Taking four friends sightseeing from the East 34th Street Heliport, New York, the pilot took off overweight; the Bell 206B lost tail rotor effectiveness in a downwind turn, spun and sank in the East River. One passenger drowned and another died in hospital.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Couch Helicopter Service IncBell OH-58C · New Athens, IL, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Spraying a wheat field near New Athens, Illinois, the OH-58C flew into rising ground on a hilltop; the main rotor blades flexed down and cut off the tail boom, and with no tail rotor the helicopter spun into the ground. The pilot died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Aviation Technology Services LLCBell 206 · Meeker, CO, United States of America | 1 killed / 2 on board | On a low pipeline patrol in a mountain valley north of Meeker, Colorado, the Bell 206B struck power lines 95 ft above the valley floor and lost its main rotor; one of two on board died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Missouri State Highway PatrolBell 206B · Clarkson Valley, MO, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | After dropping two officers, the Missouri State Highway Patrol pilot flew off alone to refuel; the Bell 206B ran dry near St. Louis. His abrupt control input caused mast bumping, the main rotor came off and he died. He flew with unreported medical conditions.Type: FuelNTSB docket | |
| Air Evac EMS IncBell 206L-1 · Walnut Grove, AR, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | On a positioning flight to pick up a patient near Clinton, Arkansas, the Bell 206L-1 reversed course several times in low cloud; the pilot became disoriented and lost control, and the main rotor and tail boom broke away. All three on board died.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| California Department OF Fish And GameBell 206B · Auberry, CA, United States of America | 4 killed / 4 on board | On a state public-use deer survey near Auberry, California, the Bell 206B flew straight and level into a cable strung above power lines; the pilot and three state employees died.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Hillcrest Aircraft COBell 206-L4 · Moundridge, KS, United States of America | 1 killed / 1 on board | Flying alone from Ogallala, Nebraska, toward Newton, Kansas, the pilot hit level ground at high speed near Moundridge after his altitude wandered; he died. No fault was found. The NTSB could not tell why; fatigue from sleep apnea was possible.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Rotorcraft Leasing Company, LLCBell 206L-4 · Sabine Pass, TX, United States of America | 5 killed / 5 on board | Taking four workers to an offshore platform, the Bell 206L-4 flew into the Gulf of Mexico in low cloud 2 miles off Sabine Pass, Texas; all five died. The pilot was not approved or current for instrument flight, and the search started late.Type: Flight into terrainNTSB docket | |
| Arkansas Game And Fish CommisionBell OH-58C · Quitman, AR, United States of America | 1 killed / 2 on board | On a night public-use surveillance flight near Quitman, Arkansas, the Game and Fish OH-58C, flown on night vision goggles at 150 ft, lost rotor rpm and came straight down; it hit hard and one of two died. The NTSB could not find why the rpm dropped.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Hard landing or abnormal runway contactNTSB docket | |
| Ktrk-tv (abc)Bell 206 · Conroe, TX, United States of America | 2 killed / 2 on board | Heading to a breaking news story over Houston, the KTRK Bell 206L-4 rolled steeply right and dived into trees from about 350 ft; both on board died. The NTSB found a loss of control for undetermined reasons.Cause not yet established; counted.Type: Loss of control in flightNTSB docket | |
| Air Evac LifeteamBell 206L-1 · Greensburg, IN, United States of America | 3 killed / 3 on board | Taking an EMS crew back to base from Burney, Indiana, the Bell 206L-1 lost an 8 ft piece of a main rotor blade soon after takeoff and fell into a corn field; all three died. Fatigue cracking grew from a manufacturing flaw inside the blade spar.Type: System failureNTSB docket |
The NTSB lists 2 more fatal events of the Bell 206 JetRanger and LongRanger, Bell 505 Jet Ranger X in Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands or another US territory, or on a route outside the US states. They are not used, because the flight count covers US flights since 2008 only.
The Bell 206 has a US record per flight close to the average of the single-engine turbine helicopters we rate, and most of its fatal accidents happened at work rather than with paying passengers. Up to 28 October 2026, 52 fatal accidents in the United States since 2008 count toward its score, with 103 deaths. In 19 of them the helicopter hit a power line, cable or guy wire.
Who flies JetRangers and LongRangers?
The five-seat 206B JetRanger entered civil service in 1967; the stretched 206L LongRanger seats seven. Both use one Allison (now Rolls-Royce) 250 turbine and a two-blade main rotor. JetRanger production ended in 2010, LongRanger production in 2017; the Bell 505, a newer five-seater with a Safran engine, followed in 2017. The US register held 1,854 of the family in 2026 in our count, down from 2,087 in 2008.
In the records they spray crops, patrol power lines, fly for police and TV news, carry tourists and patients, and shuttle workers to Gulf of Mexico platforms. Civil conversions of the Army's OH-58 Kiowa do some of the farm work.
How helicopters are scored
We count fatal accidents in the United States since 2008, from the NTSB database. Offshore flights in the Gulf of Mexico count; accidents in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands are left out. Flights come from the FAA aircraft register and the FAA General Aviation survey, at about 0.77 hours per flight from take-off to final landing, measured on ADS-B tracks. Each type's share of its class's flights follows its registered aircraft and how much that type flies, mostly from airframe hours in NTSB accident records and partly from hours per aircraft seen by ADS-B receivers from 2019 to 2022. For 206s that is then matched to the FAA's own hours for the model (FAA Table MM.1, 2008 to 2021): they made about a quarter fewer flights per aircraft than the average single-engine turbine helicopter.
With about 13 million US flights, the most of any helicopter we rate, the 206 is judged mostly on its own record. Helicopters score far below airliners, because each flight carries much more risk. Among helicopters, the 206 is level with the Airbus H125 and just behind the Bell 407; the likely ranges of the three overlap, so the gap is small and uncertain. It sits behind the Airbus H130 and the twin-engine types, and ahead of the MD 500, another light turbine single that does much utility work, and the Robinsons. See how we score aircraft and the helicopter ranking.
Why do so many Bell 206 crashes involve wires?
Flight into terrain or obstacles is the largest type, 28 of the 52, mostly wire strikes. Thirteen in all were spraying and other farm jobs, mostly solo. Several pilots hit a line they had passed that day, as near Ulysses, Kansas, on 18 May 2021. The worst killed four on a deer survey near Auberry, California, on 5 January 2010.
The two-blade rotor teeters on the mast, and an abrupt input that unloads it can make the hub strike the mast. That happened near St. Louis on 15 October 2010, when a highway patrol 206B ran out of fuel and the main rotor came off.
Ambulances, tours and passengers
Of the 52, 34 were work, public-use and private flights, 12 passenger flights and 6 positioning flights. Four of the passenger flights served Gulf of Mexico oil platforms. Off Venice, Louisiana, on 9 October 2013, a turbine blade broke from fatigue, the engine failed and one passenger died in the sea. Air Evac Lifeteam lost six LongRangers, with 18 deaths; in three, the pilot lost control at night or in low cloud.
Grease figures in two tour accidents: worn fuel pump splines stopped the engine at Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, on 4 April 2016 (five dead), and a drive shaft serviced without the required grease failed off Honolulu on 18 February 2016 (one dead). The worst came on 10 April 2025, when a New York Helicopter LongRanger broke up over the Hudson and all six died; no cause is published yet.
Checks for passengers and crews
- For a tour or charter, ask whether the operator holds a Part 135 certificate or a Part 91 letter of authorisation, and look up the N-number in the NTSB CAROL database.
- Over water, wear the life vest and learn how your belt opens before take-off. Off Honolulu, the passenger who died was trapped in his seat.
- Utility crews: check every low-level route against a wire chart and survey it first. Near Silt, Colorado, on 27 January 2014, the pilot had not known that a higher line crossed his path.
How to tell if you are on one
Flight trackers show B06 for the JetRanger and LongRanger, and B505 for the Bell 505. Look for the two-blade rotor; the similar 407 has four blades.
Questions people ask
Is the Bell 206 JetRanger a safe helicopter?
About as safe as the other single-engine turbine helicopters we rate. Per US flight since 2008 it sits behind the Airbus H130, level with the Airbus H125, just behind the Bell 407, and ahead of the MD 500 and the Robinsons, and few official findings point to the design. Most of its fatal accidents happened on low-level work flights such as crop spraying and power line patrols, not on passenger flights.
How many Bell 206 crashes have there been in the United States?
Up to 28 October 2026, 52 fatal accidents in the United States since 2008 count toward our score, with 103 deaths. Three more, on helicopters registered as experimental, are outside the count, among them a rotor blade test flight near Fort McDowell, Arizona, in 2019. So are two in Puerto Rico and off St. Thomas.
Is the Bell 206 safer than a Robinson R44?
Per flight in our US data, yes: we estimate about 1.7 times the risk on an R44, though the likely ranges overlap a little. But the two do different jobs: most counted R44 accidents were private and other flights, many by owner-pilots, while most counted 206 accidents were work flights. The comparison says as much about the use as about the machine.
Is the Bell 505 safer than the old JetRanger?
There is too little data to say. The Bell 505 has one fatal US accident in our records, a power line strike near Ririe, Idaho, on 20 February 2025. We score it as part of the 206 family.
What caused the Hudson River helicopter crash in April 2025?
The NTSB has not published a cause. The Bell 206L-4 broke up in flight, and all six on board died.
Sources
- 1.NTSB docket: Bell 206L-4, Jersey City, New Jersey, 10 April 2025 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 2.NTSB docket: Bell 206, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, 4 April 2016 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 3.NTSB docket: Bell 206B, Honolulu, Hawaii, 18 February 2016 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 4.NTSB docket: Bell 206B, Auberry, California, 5 January 2010 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 5.NTSB docket: Bell OH-58A, Ulysses, Kansas, 18 May 2021 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 6.NTSB docket: Bell 206B, Clarkson Valley, Missouri, 15 October 2010 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 7.NTSB docket: Bell 206L 3, Venice, Louisiana, 9 October 2013 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 8.NTSB docket: Bell 206L 3, Silt, Colorado, 27 January 2014 (opens in a new tab) · National Transportation Safety Board
- 9.SafetyScorer exposure model: FAA aircraft register, FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey, OpenSky ADS-B, NTSB airframe hours (opens in a new tab)Flights of all kinds in the United States (private, training, charter and other civil use) 2008 to 3 November 2026, each counted from take-off to final landing: the hours of all US single-engine turbine helicopters in each year (active aircraft and hours from the FAA General Aviation and Part 135 Activity Survey), split between types by US-registered aircraft (FAA register, 1,781 of this type in 2024) times how much each type flies against its class (0.93, mostly from airframe hours in NTSB accident records, partly from hours per aircraft seen by ADS-B receivers in 2019-2022, then matched to the FAA's own hours for this model in 2008-2021), at 0.77 hours per flight from ADS-B tracks: about 319 flights per registered aircraft per year in 2024. Flights and accidents outside the United States, or before 2008, are not used. Against the FAA's hours per helicopter model, this method is off by about 22% on a typical type. Uncertainty roughly ±20%.