Montana, one of the least populated states in the US, has seen well more than its “fair share” of helicopter accidents and incidents in the last fives weeks.  HeliHub.com has reported no fewer than five such events in its Accident/Incident data pages, including one fatal accident.  Other situations include a bird strike breaking the windshield of an air ambulance helicopter, a training incident and a Bell 407 which landed hard and rolled over on a snowy mountainside.

Montana’s population of around one million puts it 44th out of a ranking of the 50 states.  In terms of population density, it comes 48th with less than seven people per square mile of land

Links to the relevant pages on HeliHub.com are as follows

• 06-May-13 N911SV Eurocopter EC135 Billings, US-Montana
  • Bird strike broke windshield.  Immediate – and uneventful – landing.  No injuries.
• 01-May-13 N322MH Schweizer 300C Hamilton, US-Montana
  • Minor damage during training flight
• 27-Apr-13 N150SP Bell 206B Shepherd, US-Montana (1F)
  • Sole occupant pilot killed after striking wires
• 25-Apr-13 N937GR Bell 407 Mount Aeneas, US-Montana
  • Rolled over on landing.  Supporting work on radio repeater site on the mountain
• 02-Apr-13 N369HW Hughes OH-6A Conner, US-Montana
  • Helicopter ended up with tail boom severed by main rotors – which were themselves removed by the accident.  Left skid completely deformed. All 4 occupants suffered minor injuries

Jeremy Parkin – HeliHub.com