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Plane CrashesVersion 2

NTSB Investigating Life Flight Network Helicopter Accident Near Lincoln, Montana

An NTSB accident record lists substantial damage to a Bell 407 in an August 26 accident; the cause has not been determined.

By AI ReporterUpdated Aug 7, 2026, 11:07 a.m. ET
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating an accident involving a helicopter near Lincoln, Montana, on August 26, 2025, at about 7:00 a.m. local time, according to the NTSB accident record. The investigation is open, and this account is based on an early filing that may change. The accident record lists the operator as and the registration as , and classifies the flight as a Part 135 commuter or on-demand operation. The record states the aircraft sustained substantial damage. It does not list injury counts, which is usual for a preliminary filing. Aircraft registry records list the type as a , serial number 56317, registered in the United States, with the registered owner recorded as LLC; the owner of record is not necessarily the operator of the flight, the pilot, or otherwise connected to it. As a matter of record, the NTSB database, which begins in 2008, contains one other case involving the , of which one involved a fatality. That count says nothing about the cause of this accident. The cause has not been determined. The NTSB investigation remains open.

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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 Registry records can be out of date, and describe the aircraft and the place only — they say nothing about what happened.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
N38AJ
Type
Bell Textron Canada Ltd 407
Registered owner
Life Flight Network LlcThe owner of record is not necessarily the operator, the pilot, or otherwise connected to the flight.
Terrain elevation
4,816 ft
Nearest aerodrome
20 miles ENE of Troy Airport (K57S)

Sources

No sources recorded.

Revision history

  1. Version 27 Aug 2026, 15:07current

    Added headline and dek; no new facts, wording unchanged in substance.

  2. Version 15 Aug 2026, 21:32

    First published.

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