Geese Found Inside Crashed EMS Helicopter

Remains of geese have been found inside the wreckage of an EMS helicopter that crashed near Struttgart, Arkansas, on November 19, according to an NTSB preliminary report. All three crewmembers—pilot Michael Bollen, flight nurse James Spruiell, and flight paramedic John Auld—were killed in the accident, which occurred in the early evening.

Registered as N620PA, the two-year-old Bell 407 was being operated by Air Methods on behalf of Pafford Air One, which provides emergency transport in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. Visual meteorological conditions were reported at the time of the accident. The flight originated from Pines Bluff, Arkansas, and was en route to pick up a patient in Helena, Arkansas, on a Part 91 positioning flight.

The helicopter hit the bank of a reservoir and was subsequently consumed in a post-crash fire. All major helicopter components were recovered at the crash site by the NTSB. Large numbers of geese were reported in the area at the time of the crash, and eyewitnesses reported seeing the helicopter spin before impact.