The Bell 430 is an American/Canadian twin-engine light-medium helicopter built by Bell Helicopter. It is a stretched and more powerful development of the Bell 230, which, in turn, was based on the earlier Bell 222.
Development While developing the reengined Model 222 as the 230, Bell began preliminary design work on a stretched derivative with a four-bladed main rotor in 1991. The Bell 430 was formally launched in February 1992, with two prototypes modified from Bell 230s. The first of these flew in its new configuration on October 25, 1994, and the second prototype, featuring the full 430 avionics suite, first flew on December 19, 1994.Frawley, Gerard: The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003-2004, p. 46. Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd., 2003. .
Production of the Bell 230 ended in August 1995, and 430 production began. The first 430 production aircraft was completed later that year. Canadian certification was awarded on February 23, 1996. Deliveries began in mid-1996.
On January 24, 2008, Bell announced plans to terminate production of its Model 430 after order commitments were fulfilled in 2008."Bell Streamlines Product Line to Better Align with Customer Demands" , Bell Helicopter, January 24, 2008. Production ended after 136 helicopters were completed,"Bell 430". Jane's Helicopter Markets and Systems. Jane's Information Group, 2009. (subscription article) dated October 20, 2009. with the last being delivered in May 2008."Bell 430". Jane's All the World's Aircraft. Jane's Information Group, 2009. (subscription article) dated April 21, 2009.
Design
The Bell 430 features several significant improvements over the 230, the most significant of these being the new four-blade, bearingless, composite main rotor. Although both the 230 and 430 are powered by Rolls-Royce (Allison) 250 turboshaft engines, the 430's engines are 10% more powerful. Other changes include the stretched fuselage, providing for two extra seats, an optional EFIS flight deck, and a choice of either skids or retractable wheeled undercarriage.
The typical configuration seats ten, including a pilot and co-pilot with eight passengers in the main cabin behind them in three rows of seats. Six- and eight-place executive layouts are offered. In an EMS role it can carry one or two stretcher patients with four or three medical attendants, respectively. Maximum external load capacity is .
Operational history The Bell 430 entered service in 1996, with thirteen delivered that year. In 1998, some 50 Bell 430s were in service with 9,000 flight hours totaled."Bell Model 430" . Flug Revue, 30. December 1999.
On September 3, 1996, Americans Ron Bower and John Williams broke the round-the-world helicopter record with the second Bell 430, flying westwards from the UK with a time of 17 days, 6 hours and 14 minutes.
Operators
Military
Bulgarian Air Force
Dominican Republic Air Force
Ecuadorian Navy
Civilian
Pelita Air
AirMed New York State Police. Lee County EMS GrandView Aviation Louisiana State Police Uber Elevate
Accidents On September 2, 2009, an Andhra Govt. Bell 430 carrying Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy and his party from Andhra Pradesh in southern India went missing over a local stretch of forest. The charred wreckage was found the next morning, crashed on a hilltop in the Nallamala Hills this resulted in five fatalities.
On 21 September 2026, a private Bell 430 helicopter with registration PP-MGR, carrying the Brazilian singer and songwriter Rick Sollo, former member of the duo Rick & Renner, crashed during a flight between Porto Belo and São Joaquim in Santa Catarina. This resulted in five fatalities.
On 30 September 2026, a Bell 430 carrying Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo crashed in Marondera, Zimbabwe, resulting in five casualties.
Specifications
+ Bell 230 and Bell 430 comparison Model 230 430 Announced 1990 1991 First Flight August 12, 1991 October 25, 1994 Certified March 1992 February 23, 1996 Delivered November 1992 1996 Seats 2 (pilot & copilot) + 5–6 passengers 2 + 6–8 Height Fuselage length Rotor diameter Length overall Engine (2×) Allison 250C30G2 Rolls-Royce 250-C40B Power (2×) Max. speed Climb rate 1,600 ft/min (8.13 m/s) 1,350 ft/min (6.86 m/s) Service ceiling Hover ceiling Fuel capacity 188+ US gal (710+ L) 188+ US gal (710+ L)Range Empty Weight Maximum Takeoff Weight Serial Numbers23001–23038 49001–49123+ Sources: Airliners.net,Bell 222 & 230 page. Airliners.netBell 430 page. Airliners.net helicopterdirect.com,Bell helicopter technical data. helicopterdirect.com AircraftOne.comHelicopter production list . AircraftOne.com
See also
References
External links
Bell 430 at Bell Helicopter web site