Two Bell Helicopter employees were killed Wednesday when the twin-engine rotorcraft they were test flying crashed near the company’s facility in eastern Texas. Debris from the 525 model helicopter was concentrated at the crash site in Ellis County, but pieces of the aircraft were discovered further away, including a part of the boom found about 1,500 feet away, according to an NBC report. The helicopter was thought to have struck a utility pole in the area, but authorities confirmed the pole was not hit, the station reported.
The FAA and NTSB sent investigators to the scene. The crash occurred about 11:45 a.m. The helicopter was one of two that had departed Bell’s facility at Arlington Airport for flight testing, NBC reported. The Bell 525 Relentless, designed for commercial utility missions with up to 20 seats, made its public debut in March at the Helicopter Association International’s annual expo. Courtesy of AVweb.