The aircraft went down near the 7100 block of Cairo Bend Road south of the Gallatin airport on Saturday afternoon, officials said.
LEBANON, Tenn. — A Vanderbilt LifeFlight helicopter crashed Saturday afternoon in a field off Cairo Bend Road, leaving one crew member dead and two others critically injured, local officials said. The single-engine medical helicopter went down shortly after 2 p.m. south of Music City Executive Airport as multiple agencies responded.
Authorities said three crew members were aboard the medical helicopter and no patient was on the flight. Vanderbilt University Medical Center confirmed the death late Saturday and said the two surviving crew members were being treated at Vanderbilt University Hospital. The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office secured the rural scene as federal investigators began their work. The crash halted traffic around the 7100 block of Cairo Bend Road and drew first responders from across Wilson and neighboring counties. The cause remains under investigation.
Deputies and firefighters reached the site within minutes after callers reported a helicopter down in open terrain near homes along the dead-end stretch of Cairo Bend Road. Wilson County Sheriff’s Office Capt. Scott Moore said crews initially focused on extricating the trapped occupants. “We had nurses and a pilot on board,” Moore said at the scene, adding that the aircraft went down around 2 p.m. Vanderbilt later said, “Tragically, one crew member lost their life, and two others are in critical condition,” in a statement from Chief Communications Officer John Howser. No other injuries on the ground were reported.
The helicopter was operating for Vanderbilt LifeFlight, the region’s critical-care transport program, which typically staffs a pilot, flight nurse and either a second nurse or a paramedic. Initial records and local reports identify the aircraft as an Airbus EC130 series helicopter. The crash site sits south of Music City Executive Airport in Gallatin and several miles north of Lebanon. Deputies asked motorists to avoid the area as utility crews and investigators worked around narrow two-lane roads and ditches. Officials said it was too early to say where the flight originated or its destination.
Neighbors described a sudden thud and a wave of sirens. One resident who lives near the dead end said he crested a hill and saw “every single agency” converging. Another neighbor told a reporter the helicopter lay on its side with visible damage but no post-crash fire. By nightfall, taped-off fields and rotating patrol cars marked the perimeter while medics and deputies cycled in and out. The Wilson County Sheriff’s Office expressed condolences to the crew and families, saying their “hearts go out to everyone affected by this tragic incident.”
Federal authorities said the National Transportation Safety Board opened an investigation with support from the Federal Aviation Administration. An NTSB field team planned to document the scene, examine the wreckage, and collect flight, weather and maintenance information. A preliminary report summarizing factual findings is expected in the coming weeks, followed by a more detailed analysis that could take months. Local officials said Cairo Bend Road would see intermittent closures as cranes and recovery crews remove the wreckage for examination.
Vanderbilt LifeFlight, which serves Middle Tennessee and surrounding states, operates aircraft staged around the region to speed trauma and cardiac care. Saturday’s crash follows prior aviation incidents in the state unrelated to LifeFlight, underscoring the risks of low-altitude rotorcraft operations in changing conditions and varied terrain. Program leaders said the surviving crew members remained in critical condition late Saturday, and the organization would release additional details about the fallen colleague after next-of-kin notifications.
As of Sunday morning, investigators continued documenting the site while Wilson County deputies maintained the roadblock near the 7100 block of Cairo Bend Road. Authorities did not release the names of the three crew members. The next formal update is expected after NTSB completes its on-scene work and issues the preliminary report.
Author note: Last updated November 9, 2025.