ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 137704
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| Date: | Monday 25 July 2011 |
| Time: | 14:38 |
| Type: |  Sikorsky S-55B |
| Owner/operator: | Golden Wings Aviation |
| Registration: | N5663 |
| MSN: | 55-1267 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 7397 hours |
| Engine model: | Wright R-1300 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Between Chelan and Manson, WA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Chelan, WA |
| Chelan, WA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The helicopter was contracted to overfly the rural cherry orchard in order to dry the cherries following rain showers. A witness reported that the helicopter was flying over the cherry orchard from south to north, and it had just completed a left turn when it collided with power lines that bordered the orchard. The helicopter impacted terrain, in a nose low attitude, about 45 feet south of the power lines. Power line wires were found wrapped 3 to 4 times around the main rotor mast and striation marks on the leading edge of the main rotor blades were indicative of a wire strike.
Examination of the accident site revealed that four wires were strung between poles with the top three wires about 50 feet agl and the lower wire about 40 feet agl. Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no evidence of a preimpact mechanical malfunction or failure that would have precluded normal operation.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain clearance from power lines while maneuvering at a low altitude.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jul-2011 00:07 | gerard57 | Added |
| 26-Jul-2011 02:28 | RobertMB | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 26-Jul-2011 07:55 | RobertMB | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Other fatalities] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 16:59 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Other fatalities, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Plane category] |
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