BELL 407

Full Narrative

On July 26, 2024, at 10:40 Central Daylight Time, a Survival Flight Bell 407 helicopter, powered by one Rolls-Royce M250-C47B turboshaft engine, experienced an uncontained engine failure while traveling to refuel after dropping off a patient. The engine failure necessitated a forced landing in a field. Shortly after completing a fuel check, the pilot heard a loud boom and saw a bright flash of light out the left side of the helicopter and the helicopter lost engine power and entered an autorotation making a turn to a field to his right. During the descent, the pilot noticed wires running left to right across the flight path and pitched the nose down to avoid the wires. The pilot and the paramedics stated that prior to the failure, there were no abnormal cockpit indications or warning lights. The pilot stated that the power assurance check was completed at the beginning of the shift and that the check was good. The pilot also stated that the oil levels were normal and there were no bypass indications. None of the 3 occupants on board were injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 135 on-demand helicopter air ambulance operation.