N975BW – MCDONNELL DOUGLAS HELI CO 369FF – 2013-08-22 NTSB Accident Report

On August 22, 2013, a Mcdonnell Douglas Heli Co 369FF (N975BW) was involved in an incident near Reese, MI. All 2 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.

The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: The failure of the temporary hoist holding the powerline wire which resulted in a brief loss of control and main rotor blade impacts with the tower.

The helicopter was conducting an electrical power line construction operation with a lineman standing outside on the skid. The wire was temporarily suspended by a hoist and the lineman was inserting a fiber shoe to attach the wire to the arm of the tower. While the helicopter was hovering next to the wire at about 200 feet above ground level the hoist slipped and the wire fell onto the top of the helicopter's skid. Control was briefly lost and four of the helicopter's main rotor blades impacted the tower resulting in substantial damage to the main rotor blades. The pilot quickly regained control and made an emergency landing in tall corn about 200 feet from the accident location.

This incident is documented in NTSB report CEN13CA501. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N975BW.