Bell 407, N618TS, fatal accident occurred on October 15, 2026, in Myakka City, Florida

• Location: Myakka City, FL 
• Accident Number: ERA27FA010 
• Date & Time: October 15, 2026, 20:51 Local 
• Registration: N618TS 
• Aircraft: Bell 407 
• Injuries: 1 Fatal 
• Flight Conducted Under: Public aircraft

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/204012/pdf

https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=N618TS

On October 15, 2026, about 2051 eastern daylight time, a Bell 407 helicopter, N618TS, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Myakka City, Florida. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 public use flight.

The helicopter was owned and operated by Manatee County Mosquito Control District (MCMCD). The accident flight was the pilot's first mosquito control spraying mission that day.

According to the operator, mosquito control spraying was conducted at night with pilots utilizing night vision goggles. The spray pattern was guided by a “Tabula” GPS-based navigation system which displayed the target path on a tablet and a course deviation indication (CDI) via a light bar above the glareshield. Charted obstacles were displayed on the tablet from the GPS database as a triangle with a text box above the triangle that provided the obstacle's height above ground level (agl). Obstacles identified by the operator that were not included in the GPS database were individually added by the operator. When the helicopter approached an obstacle within 350 ft either side of its flight path and 10 seconds before a projected conflict, the tablet screen displayed a red “Hazard” warning, and the CDI light bar turned red and displayed “Hazard,” without regard to the helicopter's altitude or the height of the obstacle. The system did not provide any aural warnings.

The second spray area or “box” assigned to the pilot contained three collocated unlit amateur radio towers that were 50-, 100-, and 150-ft tall. The 100- and 150-ft tall towers were operator-added obstacles in the Tabula database. The pilot had previously sprayed the area around the accident site about five times during 2026.

Review of FAA ADS-B data and data from the on-board Tabula system that was live streamed to the operator's facility, revealed that the flight departed from MC1 Heliport (1FD1), Ellenton, Florida, about 1847, and proceeded in an east-southeast direction, then turned to a southerly direction and began spraying the designated area between 1901 and 1905. While spraying, pilot was in regular communication with MCMCD employees and the pilot of a second MCMCD helicopter (N407LD) that was also conducting mosquito control spraying in the area. All communications were normal.

The pilot had planned to finish dispersing 100 gallons of insecticide and return to 1FD1 to refuel and reload chemicals. About 2040, the pilot discussed having about 333 pounds of fuel remaining (about 45 minutes) and stopping to refuel and load chemical at the off-site “64 property”, located about 12 miles north of the spray areas.

Tabula data provided by the operator showed the helicopter flying in a straight line in the second spray box in a westerly direction. The helicopter appeared to deviate to the south from the targeted course to an area that had been previously sprayed. When the helicopter reached the boundary of the spray box, it reversed course and resumed spraying in the opposite direction over previously sprayed areas. The helicopter made several turns, with the spray both turned off and on, before it rejoined the original westerly path and then turned back to the east. While flying in an easterly direction about 80 knots groundspeed the helicopter struck the 150 ft tall tower about 130 ft agl. The majority of the tower collapsed and about 40 ft remained standing.

Operator personnel monitoring the helicopter's flight noted its track had become stationary, and the pilot of the other company helicopter was asked to “check on” the pilot of the accident helicopter. The wreckage was located at the last position reported by the on-board Tabula system.

The owner of the property where the main wreckage came to rest reported that he saw the helicopter flying in a due northerly direction. He went inside his home and subsequently heard the sound a crash and observed a fire. He then went to the accident site and observed the main wreckage on fire by the tailboom. The cockpit area was crushed but was not on fire. The pilot was wearing a seatbelt and shoulder harness. The property owner and a neighbor who also responded to the accident site removed the pilot from the main wreckage and emergency medical services arrived shortly thereafter.

The wreckage was retained for further examination.

Loss of control in flight: Cessna 208B Grand Caravan, N1259K, fatal accident occurred on July 20, 2024, in Youngstown, New York

• Location: Youngstown, New York 
• Accident Number: ERA24FA309 
• Date & Time: July 20, 2024, 11:40 Local 
• Registration: N1259K 
• Aircraft: Cessna 208 
• Aircraft Damage: Destroyed 
• Defining Event: Loss of control in flight 
• Injuries: 1 Fatal, 1 Minor 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Skydiving

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/194726/pdf

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=194726

On July 20, 2024, about 1140 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 208B, N1259K, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Youngstown, New York. The commercial pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by Skydive the Falls as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 skydiving flight. 

The pilot departed in the accident airplane with a load of skydivers for her sixth flight of the day. She followed a similar climbing flight track as the previous five flights. After the skydive jumpers exited the airplane, video recorded by one of the skydivers showed the airplane in a near vertical dive. An aircraft performance study of ADS-B data found that the accident flight's descent mirrored the previous flights until about 14 seconds after the start of the descent. On the previous flights, the descent was arrested; however, on the accident flight the rate of descent and airspeed continued to increase until track data were lost. The airplane impacted in a left wing, nose low, nearly inverted attitude, which resulted in the airplane being destroyed.

Measurement of the elevator trim tab actuators found that the elevator trim was in the full nose down position. The airplane was equipped with both electric and manual elevator trim controls, and due to the substantial impact damage neither system was able to be tested after the accident. Based on the video evidence showing the airplane entering a near vertical dive, it is likely that the trim was intentionally placed into this position by the pilot to assist with entering and maintaining the descent. Due to a lack of available data, the investigation was unable to determine the amount of control force that the pilot would have needed to exert to pull out of the dive.

The postaccident examination of the engine found multiple indications that it was operating at a high power setting. These included power turbine blades that were bent in the opposite direction of the rotation and 3rd stage compressor blades that were both stuck in the gas generator case and bent in the opposite direction of rotation. There were no indications of any preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the engine that would have precluded normal operation.

All three propeller blades were largely intact and all three exhibited significant bending. Two of the three blades exhibited S bending, consistent with high power at the time of impact, although the exact power level could not be determined. All three blades had evidence of blade pitch control actuating pins installed on their butt faces, including mounting footprint indentations. All three footprints had deeper indentations on the aft side, which was consistent with impact forces from the front transferring through the pitch control system. The direction of the footprint indentations appeared to correspond with the propeller being at low blade angle relative to the plane of rotation, but not necessarily in the beta range.All three blades had more chord wise scratching on their forward faces than on their aft faces, and one blade had portions of the trailing edge bent aft. These indications were consistent with the blades being at low pitch angles at the time of impact and potentially in the beta range. Because of the inconsistent indications, the exact blade angles were not able to be determined.

Postaccident testing of tissue samples obtained from the pilot revealed the presence of ethanol at very low levels in the presence of extensive traumatic injury. Based on the limited toxicological evidence, some or all of the small amount of detected ethanol may have been from sources other than alcohol consumption, and it is unlikely that alcohol effects contributed to the accident.

While the accident flight descent began similarly to the previous flights on the day of the accident, once the descent progressed farther than the previous flights, without being arrested, the pilot only had about 6 seconds to recover before the airplane exceeded its maximum operating speed. Operation above the maximum operating speed may result in flight control flutter, damage, or structural failure of the airplane. Once the airplane exceeded this limitation, and given the pitch trim and engine power indications indicated by the postaccident examinations, it is likely that the pilot was unable to regain control of the airplane, which resulted in an inflight loss of control and subsequent impact with terrain.

- Probable Cause: The pilot's loss of control in flight which resulted in the airplane impacting the ground at a high rate of speed and descent.

Aerodynamic stall/spin: Lancair 360, N510G, fatal accident occurred on October 20, 2024, at Cross City Airport (CTY/KCTY), Cross City, Florida

• Location: Cross City, Florida 
• Accident Number: ERA25FA020 
• Date & Time: October 20, 2024, 16:00 Local 
• Registration: N510G 
• Aircraft: GEISZ GILBERT A LANCAIR 360 
• Aircraft Damage: Substantial 
• Defining Event: Aerodynamic stall/spin 
• Injuries: 2 Fatal 
• Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal

https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/195350/pdf

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=195350

On October 20, 2024, about 1600 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Lancair 360, N510G, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Cross City, Florida. The commercial pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

The pilot was enroute to his home airport on a long cross-country flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and in visual meteorological conditions (VMC). About 50 minutes into the flight, air traffic controllers lost communication and transponder-reinforced position reporting with the accident airplane but maintained primary radar contact. About 25 minutes later, and 15 nautical miles from the destination airport, primary radar contact with the airplane was lost. A pilot who was also flying into the destination airport reported that he heard the accident pilot over the common traffic advisory frequency for the airport stating that the airplane had an electrical failure and that he was transmitting from a handheld radio. The pilot requested a check of the landing gear position, but received no response from anyone on the ground at the airport. The witness subsequently heard the pilot report being on the base leg of the traffic pattern shortly before he heard an emergency locator transmitter (ELT). Another witness saw the airplane overfly the airport about 600 ft above ground level before beginning a slow descending left turn, which became steeper as the airplane approached the end of the runway. When the airplane was about 50 to 100 ft above ground level its left wing of the airplane dropped, the nose went down, and the airplane impacted the ground.

The wreckage of the airplane was examined after the accident and no evidence of any preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures were identified. Additionally, both electronic magnetos and the standby alternator were tested and found to operate normally. The primary alternator could not be functionally tested due to impact-related damage. The airplane's intact 12-volt battery displayed a voltage of 11.8 volts (unloaded) when tested with a multimeter, and its terminals remained connected to the respective cables within the airframe. A second battery was found in the debris field and displayed a voltage of 12.5 volts (unloaded). Because no electrical system schematic for the experimental amateur-built airplane was found, the investigation was unable to determine what systems were powered by the two alternators and two batteries found in the wreckage. Given the witnesses' descriptions of the pilot's radio transmissions, specifically that the airplane had an electrical failure, that he was using a handheld radio, and that he was seeking assistance in determining the landing gear position as he overflew the destination airport, it is likely that the airplane experienced a total loss of electrical power during the accident flight.

The airplane was equipped with an electronic primary avionics suite and engine monitor, and no analog instruments for referencing airspeed. As such, a loss of electrical power would likely have resulted in the pilot having to rely solely on external visual cues to determine the airplane's speed, and increasing the risk of a loss of control while flying at low speed. Based on the witness description that the airplane was in a steep bank before pitching nose down and descending to ground impact, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane's critical angle of attack while maneuvering for landing, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall.

- Probable Cause: The pilot’s exceedance of the critical angle of attack, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall at an altitude too low to recover. Contributing to the accident was the total electrical failure, which likely resulted in a loss of airspeed indication.