ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 153838
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| Date: | Friday 6 August 2004 |
| Time: | 19:59 |
| Type: |  Eurocopter EC 130B4 |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | N450CM |
| MSN: | 3774 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2004 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 202 hours |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Prairie du Sac, WI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Rochester International Airport, MN (RST/KRST) |
| Milwaukee, WI | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On August 6, 2004, at 1959 central daylight time, a Eurocopter EC130 B4 helicopter, N450CM, piloted by a commercial pilot, was destroyed during an in-flight collision with a single-family residence and a post-impact fire near Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. The personal flight was being conducted under 14 CFR Part 91 without a flight plan. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. One person in the residence sustained minor injuries. The flight departed the Rochester International Airport (RST), Rochester, Minnesota, approximately 1858.
The helicopter was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire after it collided with a static wire spanning a lake bay inlet about 80 feet above the surface of the water. The Fenestron (tail rotor) assembly separated from the tail boom when it struck the wire and the helicopter subsequently entered an uncontrolled descent. The main helicopter body impacted a single-family residence located near the shoreline and came to rest on the ground next to the home. The pilot and pilot-rated passenger sustained fatal injuries. One person in the residence sustained minor injuries. Witnesses at several locations along the flight path reported a low-flying helicopter matching the description of the accident aircraft. One witness noted that it was "very fast" and at or below the top of their 70-foot high silos. Two witnesses to the accident sequence reported that they were in a boat on the lake and that they saw the helicopter descend toward their position. One of them noted that the aircraft's flight path was "very direct" and that it was not "wavering." As the helicopter passed overhead, they recalled components coming off the aircraft. They both stated that when they looked back the power lines were "bouncing." A third witness reported that she saw the helicopter dip low toward the water and then come back up toward the power lines. She saw the tail separate from the helicopter and the aircraft went over trees on the opposite side of the lake from her position. The power company reported that power was automatically interrupted in the area at the time of the accident. Technicians dispatched to the site reported that one of the static wires was wrapped around a transmission line. A post accident inspection of the helicopter did not reveal any anomalies associated with a pre impact failure. The Fenestron fracture surface exhibited directional metal transfer features and transferred zinc consistent with impact with a galvanized steel static line.
Probable Cause: The pilot's intentional low-level flight toward the lake and his failure to maintain clearance from the static wire on power transmission lines. Contributing factors were the separation of the Fenestron (tail rotor) assembly from the tail boom as a result of the collision with the static wire and the subsequent loss of control.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/_layouts/ntsb.aviation/brief.aspx?ev_id=20040811X01199&key=1
Location
Images:
Photos: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 07-Mar-2013 04:05 | TB | Added |
| 30-Oct-2014 17:34 | TB | Updated [Aircraft type] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 07-Dec-2017 18:18 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Operator, Nature, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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