Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot's inadequate visual lookout and low altitude flight when he failed to maintain altitude/clearance from the transmission wire. A factor contributing to the accident was the transmission wire.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
On July 15, 2003, about 0730 central daylight time, a Bell 47G-5 helicopter, N7925J, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed on impact with a transmission wire and terrain near Cleveland, Minnesota. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 137 aerial application flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot sustained serious injuries. The flight departed from a private airstrip near Cleveland, Minnesota, at 0725.
The pilot reported he did not see the transmission wire until it impacted the cockpit windshield. The pilot stated the transmission wire deflected over the top of the cockpit and the helicopter started to "vibrate severely." He noted the helicopter started to descend and he "tried to pick [a] landing spot near [a] ditch in soft ground." The pilot reported he saw pieces of the helicopter that had been cut off by the main rotorblade "flying by the aircraft" prior to impact. The helicopter impacted on its skids and rolled onto its left side.
The pilot reported there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures prior to the impact with the wires.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CHI03LA210