The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has completed it's investigation to a July 6, 2025 incident near Red Deer, when a Bell 206L-4 crashed during a turning autorotation maneuver, killing the passenger and seriously injuring the pilot.The helicopter, registered C-GKVX, had departed The Lodge at Panther River for the Hespero/Safron Residence Heliport with one passenger and the pilot on board. After overflying the destination, the pilot performed a 360° turn and initiated a turning approach consistent with an autorotation. The aircraft descended at rates reaching 3,846 feet per minute before the pilot attempted a power recovery and landed briefly on a grass strip.Shortly afterward, the helicopter departed along the grass strip, conducted multiple turns, and descended again in another autorotation. The helicopter contacted the ground, causing the skid gear to collapse. One main rotor blade struck the tail boom, the tail rotor separated, and the helicopter came to rest facing the opposite direction of travel. .The passenger did not survive the impact, and the pilot sustained serious head injuries.Weather was not considered a factor.The TSB confirmed the helicopter was within weight and balance limits and that no mechanical issues would have prevented normal operation. The aircraft was not equipped with a cockpit voice recorder or flight data recorder, and neither pilot nor passenger wore helmets, though the passenger had a four-point safety harness.The report notes that turning autorotations are high-risk maneuvers, particularly at low altitude. Training manuals emphasize maintaining rotor speed and controlling airspeed, warning that rates of descent exceeding 2,500 feet per minute can occur without frequent practice. U.S. Federal Aviation Administration guidance similarly advises against excessive nose pitch during training maneuvers.The TSB investigation highlighted that while the pilot had extensive experience — 3,500 hours of rotary-wing flying, including 1,800 hours on the accident helicopter — and had completed recurrent autorotation training, the force and direction of impact made the occurrence unsurvivable for the passenger.The TSB report underscores the importance of helmets in reducing injuries during helicopter operations, though current Canadian regulations do not mandate their use for private flights.
