BILLINGS — A Robinson R66 helicopter involved in a deadly crash in eastern Montana last week was the same model aircraft cited in a previous safety incident, according to federal records.

An NTSB report from 2014 shows the R66 struck a bird during a training flight near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, causing substantial damage to its rotor blade.

Courtesy: “ N67GA Robinson R66 ” by Graham Tiller , CC BY-SA 4.0

The helicopter, operated by Guidance Aviation, was performing practice autorotations when three birds approached and one hit the rotor disk, leaving a two-inch dent.

The instructor regained control and landed safely without injuries.

That same model helicopter crashed on Wednesday evening near Ekalaka, killing four family members of Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey

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