Helicopter incidents: September 2026 roundup
26 helicopter incidents recorded in September 2026, with 31 fatalities across 12 countries. Two fatal Bell 430 crashes ten days apart claimed eleven lives, and the month closed with crashes in Zimbabwe and off the California coast on the same day.
September 2026 saw 26 helicopter incidents across 12 countries, with 31 fatalities. That is slightly fewer incidents than August's 30, with the same death toll, and the month ended with two fatal crashes on its final day, in Zimbabwe and off the coast of California.
The numbers
The United States recorded almost half the month's incidents, though only four were fatal. Zimbabwe, Malaysia, Brazil and Canada each recorded a single accident that killed four or more.
Major incidents
Zimbabwe Bell 430 crash (6 killed) - September 30
A Bell 430, Z-PED, crashed in the Marondera district southeast of Harare while routing to the capital, killing all six on board, four passengers and two crew. Among the dead were the businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife. The cause has not been established.
Long Lellang Bo 105 crash (5 killed) - September 8
A Bo 105 flying for Malaysia's Flying Doctor Service crashed at the end of the runway at Long Lellang STOLport in the Baram interior of Sarawak. All five on board were killed: the pilot and four Ministry of Health personnel who had flown from Miri.
Urubici Bell 430 crash (5 killed) - September 21
A Bell 430, PP-MGR, lost contact over the Serra Catarinense in poor weather while flying from Porto Belo to São Joaquim. The wreckage was found the following day near Vacas Gordas, Urubici. All five on board were killed, including the sertanejo singer Rick of the duo Rick & Renner.
Quebec R44 crash (4 killed) - September 26
A Robinson R44 Raven I on a sightseeing flight came down in a field near Sainte-Brigide-d'Iberville, on Montreal's south shore, shortly after takeoff, and caught fire. All four on board were killed.
Chatsworth AS350 crash (3 killed) - September 15
An AS350B2 operating for the Los Angeles television station KNBC crashed at Chatsworth, killing three.
Two Bell 430 losses in ten days
The month's most striking pattern involved an uncommon type. Barely 130 Bell 430s were built, and two were lost in fatal accidents ten days apart, in Brazil on 21 September and Zimbabwe on 30 September, with eleven deaths between them. The accidents have nothing obvious in common beyond the type, and both investigations are at an early stage.
Air medical flying
Two air ambulance accidents killed seven people. Besides the Malaysian Flying Doctor crash, a REACH Air Medical EC135, N313RX, crashed in the sea off Pebbly Beach near Avalon on Santa Catalina Island on 30 September, shortly after taking off on a medical transfer at about 19:50 local time. Two of the five on board were killed and others were pulled from the water.
Gyroplanes
Four of the month's incidents involved gyroplanes, two of them fatal: a Magni M16 that struck a power line near Lesterville, Missouri, on 23 September, killing both occupants, and an unidentified gyroplane west of Broken Hill, Australia, on 12 September. An AutoGyro MTOsport was seriously damaged at Kaplan, Louisiana, and a self-built coaxial ultralight was destroyed on a test flight at Xi'an in China, its pilot unhurt.
Firefighting
An AS332L1 Super Puma, N332N, crashed near Ostrander Lake in Yosemite National Park on 20 September while flying water drops on the Dome Fire, killing both pilots, Greg King and Ryan Cutter. It was the month's only firefighting loss, in a season that produced several in August.
Power lines
Two wire strikes, one fatal. The Magni M16 in Missouri killed two people. A Robinson R44 clipped lines while hog hunting near Ozona, Texas, on 27 September and landed in a field with three on board and no injuries. It is a pattern that recurs in almost every month we publish.
Looking back
September was a quieter month than August by incident count, 26 against 30, with the same number of deaths. The difference is in concentration: August's deaths were spread across ten fatal accidents of modest size, while September's came mostly from four crashes that each killed four or more.
Full records for every incident above are in the database, and each country page carries its own history.
Figures as at publication. The database is updated continuously as new records are added and investigations conclude, so current totals may be higher.