Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from a power line while maneuvering at low altitude.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Analysis
On February 27, 2015, at 1030 Pacific standard time, a Bell 47G 2A, N4774S, collided with a suspended power line 15 miles northeast of Ivanhoe, California. The helicopter was registered to Barton Aero, Inc., and operated by Gilbert Aviation as a 14 Code of Federal Aviation, Part 137 aerial application flight. The commercial pilot was seriously injured, and the helicopter was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and a flight plan had not been filed.
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector who spoke to the pilot, stated that the pilot knew about the power line and attempted to avoid it at the last second by flying under it. The wire caught the main rotor mast and the helicopter came to rest on its right side in an orange tree orchard. The pilot was able to self extract, and sustained numerous broken bones. Examination of the helicopter wreckage by the inspector confirmed that a electrical power cable had wrapped around the helicopter's rotor mast.
The pilot reported no mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# WPR15LA116