Bell B206-B N975TR

Summary

On 18 July 2025 at about 12:00 local time, a Bell B206-B registered N975TR was involved in an accident near Bloomington, Illinois, United States. One person was on board and one had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

18 July 2025 at 12:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Bloomington, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Central Il Rgnl/Bloomington-No (BMI)

Coordinates

40.4383, -88.9226

Aircraft

Bell B206-B

Registration

N975TR

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1974

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Minier → Bloomington

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN25LA266

1 person had minor injuries.

The pilot’s failure to avoid power lines during an aerial application flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was completing an aerial application flight in the helicopter. During a spray pass, he noticed a car on the nearby road, so he slowed the helicopter to avoid the applicant drifting onto the car. He then noticed power lines in front of him and attempted to fly underneath them but collided with the lower line. The pilot lost control of the helicopter which impacted in a field and came to rest on its left side. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and tail boom. The pilot added that he was not aware of the powerlines before the flight, even though he had sprayed this field many times before.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.