# NTSB CEN27LA015: Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4, N426AE, Riverton, IL, October 10, 2026

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Investigation open
- Date: October 10, 2026, 13:00, time zone not recorded
- Place: Riverton, IL
- Location: 39.8461° N, 89.5364° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Riverton, IL, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8461&lon=-89.5364&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute-cruise: Birdstrike](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/901)
- Highest injury: Serious injuries
- Injuries: 1 serious, 2 uninjured
- Status: Investigation ongoing
- Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office: Central Region
- NTSB case key (mKey): 204000
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN27LA015
- Latest NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/204000/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN27LA015

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute-cruise: Birdstrike](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/901) (defining event); cases with it: [Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/901/sequence.md?model=1181455), [All aircraft, 256 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/901/sequence.md)

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N426AE](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N426AE), registered now, S/N 52426, built 2011 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BELL HELICOPTER TEXTRON CANADA 206L-4
- Registry model: [Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 206L-4](https://openairdocs.org/model/bell-helicopter-textron-canada-206l-4) (registry code 1181455) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [Rolls-Royce 250-C30P](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-250-c30p) (registry code 54013, turbo-shaft) (OpenAirDocs)
- Operator: Air Evac Ems Inc
- Registered owner: Air Evac Ems Inc

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

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