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NTSB Record Lists Four Killed in Robinson R66 Helicopter Crash Near Ekalaka, Montana

The accident record shows four people aboard and four fatalities in the October 23 crash; the cause has not been determined and the NTSB investigation is open.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 9:18 a.m. ET
people were killed when a Robinson R66 helicopter crashed near Ekalaka, Montana, at about 12:30 a.m. local time on October 23, 2025, according to the National Transportation Safety Board accident record. The record lists people aboard and fatalities. The event is developing and the NTSB investigation remains open. The accident record identifies the aircraft as a , registration , and states that it sustained substantial damage. The flight is classified in the record as a Part 91 general aviation flight. The cause has not been determined. Aircraft registry records list as a single-engine turboprop helicopter with a Rolls-Royce 250-C300/A1 engine, serial number 0485, built in 2014 and 11 years old, registered in the United States. The registry lists the registered owner as Bailey Aviation Management LLC; the owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight. Web research established only that Bailey Aviation Management LLC is a limited liability company recorded as the registered owner of aircraft; no further material meeting verification criteria could be retrieved, and the entity's nature and operations could not be established. As a matter of record, the NTSB database, which begins in 2008, contains 23 other cases involving the Robinson R66, of which 7 involved a fatality. The database also contains one prior case for this airframe, CEN15CA039, on October 29, 2014, at Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Neither the type count nor the airframe's earlier case says anything about the cause of this accident. Geographic reference data places Ekalaka in Carter County, Montana, at a settlement elevation of 3,425 feet, with Ekalaka Airport (K97M) about 1.0 miles away and Castleberry Airport (MT45) about 1.9 miles away; that elevation is for the town itself and not for the accident site. Weather observations recorded at Baker Municipal Airport (KBHK), 34. miles away and 21 minutes from the reported time, showed wind from 120 degrees at 5 knots, visibility 10 statute miles, clear skies and 34°F. That is an instrument reading at a nearby field and is not a statement of cause. The NTSB investigation is continuing.

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Reference data

From aircraft and geographic registries, not from the news sources. Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.

Registration
N67GA
Type
Robinson Helicopter Co R66 — single-engine turboprop helicopter
Engines
ROLLS-ROYC 250-C300/A1
Built
2014-01-01 (11 years old)
Registered owner
Bailey Aviation Management LlcThe owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight.
Terrain elevation
3,425 ft
Nearest aerodrome
1.0 miles NNW of Ekalaka Airport (K97M)

Sources

No sources recorded.

Revision history

  1. Version 27 Aug 2026, 13:18current

    Corrected the aerodrome bearings, which had been stated in reverse, and clarified that the 3,425-foot elevation refers to the settlement rather than the accident site.

  2. Version 15 Aug 2026, 19:43

    First published.

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