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NTSB Investigating Air Ambulance Helicopter Accident Near Libby, Montana

An accident record lists a Bell 407 registered N407VS as substantially damaged in an early-morning accident on February 5, 2026; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 10:40 a.m. ET
A helicopter was involved in an accident near Libby, Montana, at about 3:45 a.m. on February 5, 2026, according to the accident record, which lists the National Transportation Safety Board as the investigating body. The event is developing and details remain limited. The accident record identifies the aircraft as and the operator as , and lists the aircraft as having sustained substantial damage. The record classifies the flight as a Part 135 commuter or on-demand operation. It does not list injury counts, which is usual for a preliminary filing. The cause has not been determined; the investigation is open. Aircraft registry records describe as a Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407, a single-engine turbine helicopter with a Rolls-Royce 250-C47B engine, serial number 54667, built in 2016 and 10 years old at the time of the accident. The registry lists the registered owner as Kalispell Regional Medical Center; the owner of record is not necessarily the operator of the flight, the pilot, or otherwise connected to it. Published material about the owner of record describes Kalispell Regional Medical Center as a non-profit hospital in Kalispell, Montana, founded in 1910, whose health system was renamed Logan Health in 2021. The hospital runs the A.L.E.R.T. (Advanced Life Support and Emergency Rescue Team) air ambulance program, established in 1975, with a Bell 407 helicopter crewed by a pilot, nurse and medic and a Pilatus PC-12 fixed-wing aircraft used for interfacility transfers from Montana towns including Libby. As of a 2022 report the program operated two helicopters and two fixed-wing aircraft, and its air ambulance operations were being combined with Billings Clinic's MedFlight. The program's named helicopter chief pilot is Matthew Weller; the investigation has made no finding connecting him to this accident. Geographic reference data places Libby in Lincoln County, Montana, at a settlement elevation of 2,096 feet, with Libby Airport (KS59) 7.8 miles NNW and Troy Airport (K57S) 17 miles ESE. The NTSB database, which begins in 2008, contains 15 other cases involving the Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407, of which 4 involved a fatality; that count says nothing about the cause of this accident.

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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
N407VS
Type
Bell Helicopter Textron Canada 407 — single-engine turboprop helicopter
Engines
ROLLS-ROYC 250-C47B
Built
2016-01-01 (10 years old)
Registered owner
Kalispell Regional Medical CenterThe owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight.
Terrain elevation
2,096 ft
Nearest aerodrome
7.8 miles NNW of Libby Airport (KS59)

Sources

Revision history

  1. Version 27 Aug 2026, 14:40current

    Added headline and dek, noted the program's merger with Billings Clinic's MedFlight, and clarified that the 2,096 ft figure is the settlement's elevation.

  2. Version 15 Aug 2026, 18:28

    First published.

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