Report release date: 22/06/2026
| Occurrence Briefs are concise reports that detail the facts surrounding a transport safety occurrence, as received in the initial notification and any follow-up enquiries. They provide an opportunity to share safety messages in the absence of an investigation. Because occurrence briefs are not investigations under the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003, the information in them is de-identified. |
What happened
On the early afternoon of 23 May 2026, the pilot of an Airbus Helicopters AS350 B3 was ferrying the helicopter from a work location in Griffith to the operator’s base in Jindabyne, New South Wales. The pilot reported that the helicopter was established in cruise flight around 1,370 ft above mean sea level (AMSL) and at an airspeed of around 120 kt in clear conditions, when a previously unseen bird impacted at the centre of the left windshield. The windshield locally ruptured upon impact, with the bird and fragments of windshield passing into the cockpit and coming to rest on, and next to, the vacant left front (copilot’s) seat. The bird, reported to be a juvenile Black Kite, was killed on impact, which left an irregular hole of around 30 cm diameter in the windshield.
Figure 1: Exterior (L) and interior (R) damage sustained
Source: Operator, annotated by the ATSB
Immediately slowing the helicopter to 40 kt, the pilot checked and confirmed all controls were operating normally, before diverting south to Narrandera Airport for a precautionary landing.
The pilot (the only occupant) was uninjured during the event.
Safety action
The operator advised that the incident was discussed during a safety meeting with all staff. Replacement of the existing acrylic windshields with impact-resistant polycarbonate parts was also being considered for all helicopters in the operator’s fleet – subject to availability for the AS350 models.
Safety message
Occurrences involving aircraft striking wildlife, particularly birds, continue to be the most common aviation occurrence reported to the ATSB.
Encounters between birds and helicopters are inherently riskier than with fixed wing aircraft, due primarily to the sensitivity to damage of the rotor systems and the forward exposure of the cockpit and controls (with larger areas of unreinforced windshield).
Operations at lower altitudes and higher airspeeds further increase the risk of injurious impacts.
The ATSB has recorded 443 birdstrike occurrences involving helicopters in the 10 years 2016 to 2025. Of these, 4 resulted in accidents and 3 in serious incidents.
Data for the summary shown in Table 1 was drawn from the ATSB’s National Aviation Wildlife Strike Dashboard. Aircraft operators and crew are encouraged to review the information contained therein for relevance and reference to their own operations.
Table 1: Summary of accident and serious incidents – helicopter birdstrikes 2015–2025
Date [Occurrence No.] | Make & model | Classification & damage | Summary text [Investigation No. where applicable] |
29/02/2016 [OA2016-00288] | Robinson R22 | Accident, Destroyed | During low level aerial mustering, the pilot detected severe tail rotor vibration and immediately landed the helicopter. The helicopter landed in long grass which subsequently ignited, destroying the helicopter in the ensuing fire. It was subsequently determined that the severe vibrations were caused by a large bird (bush turkey) that had collided with the tail rotor. |
19/01/2019 [OA2019-00308] | Robinson R22 | Accident, Substantial | During landing, the helicopter's tail rotor struck a pelican and the pilot lost directional control. The helicopter subsequently rolled over resulting in substantial damage. |
22/06/2021 [OA2021-03932] | Bell 206 | Serious Incident, Nil | During initial climb, the pilot received a low inlet pressure engine warning. Shortly after, the pilot heard a loud bang with associated loss of power and conducted an auto‑rotation landing. The engineering inspection revealed an animal was ingested into the engine. |
09/07/2022 [OA2022-02585] | Bell 206 | Accident, Destroyed | On the morning of 9 July 2022, a Bell 206 L-1, registered VH-ZMF departed a private helipad at Cattai, NSW, for a private flight. About 9 minutes later, the helicopter impacted terrain about 10 km to the north of the departure point. The helicopter was destroyed, and the pilot, who was the sole occupant, was fatally injured. [AO-2022-034] + [News Article] |
29/09/2022 [OA2022-04004] | Robinson R44 | Serious Incident, Minor | During approach, the aircraft struck an eagle resulting in minor damage. |
03/12/2022 [OA2022-04514] | Bell 429 | Serious Incident, Minor | During cruise, the aircraft struck an ibis resulting in minor damage. |
14/07/2025 [OA2025-01429] | Bell 206 | Accident, Minor | On the morning of 14 July 2025, a Bell 206L-3 helicopter, registered VH-JMM, was being operated on multiple passenger charter flights around the Arnhem region in the Northern Territory. On board was a pilot and one passenger. During the fourth leg of the day at approximately 1338, while looking down and to the left out of the helicopter, the pilot heard a loud bang. The pilot saw a large bird laying between the 2 occupants, and what appeared to be serious injuries to the passenger’s upper body. The pilot reached over to the passenger to check for a pulse but was unable to feel one. Noting the passenger required immediate attention, they decided it would be better for the passenger to receive medical attention at Lake Evella Aerodrome where a police station was next to the airport. Police, a local nurse and doctor attended to the passenger, however the passenger had succumbed to injuries. The helicopter sustained minor damage. [AO‑2025-039] + [News Article] |
Source: https://www.atsb.gov.au/national-aviation-wildlife-strike-dashboard
About this report
Decisions regarding whether to conduct an investigation, and the scope of an investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no investigation has been conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow-up information in order to produce a short summary report, and allow for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.
- ^ This represents a height of around 713 ft above ground level at the location where the strike occurred.
Occurrence summary
| Mode of transport | Aviation |
|---|---|
| Occurrence ID | AB-2026-032 |
| Occurrence date | 23/05/2026 |
| Location | 5.8 km north of Narrandera Airport |
| State | New South Wales |
| Occurrence class | Serious Incident |
| Aviation occurrence category | Birdstrike, Diversion/return, Windows |
| Highest injury level | None |
| Brief release date | 22/06/2026 |
Aircraft details
| Manufacturer | Airbus Helicopters |
|---|---|
| Model | AS350 B3 |
| Sector | Helicopter |
| Operation type | Part 138 Aerial work operations |
| Activity | General aviation / Recreational – Other general aviation flying – Ferry flights |
| Departure point | Jindabyne Aircraft Landing Area, New South Wales |
| Destination | Narrandera Aerodrome, New South Wales |
| Injuries | None |
| Damage | Minor |