ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 211978
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| Date: | Saturday 9 June 2018 |
| Time: | 12:29 |
| Type: |  Robinson R44 |
| Owner/operator: | MF Helicopters LLC |
| Registration: | N529DW |
| MSN: | 1109 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2001 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 2394 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming O-540-F1B5 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Fox River, Oshkosh, WI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Initial climb |
| Nature: | Survey |
| Departure airport: | Oshkosh, WI |
| Oshkosh-Wittman Field, WI (OSH/KOSH) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The commercial pilot of the helicopter had just finished a low-level aerial photography flight of a boating event along a series of lakes and rivers. The pilot landed the helicopter, off-loaded the photographer, and departed to a nearby airport to refuel. Witnesses and surveillance video indicated that the helicopter was flying northwest over the river when, about 1/2 mile from the takeoff location, it contacted two lines of an unmarked five-line array that crossed about 100 ft above the river. The tail rotor separated from the helicopter, and the helicopter subsequently impacted the river.
The photographer reported that they had flown over numerous bridges and power lines during the earlier flight and that they had discussed the location of the power lines in reference to the bridges. Examination of the airframe revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation of the helicopter. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot flying at an unnecessarily low altitude and then failing to maintain clearance from the wires while flying at low level.
Probable Cause: The pilot's decision to fly over the river at a low altitude and his failure to maintain clearance with wires during low-level flight.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
http://aerossurance.com/helicopters/r44-wisonsin-wire-strike/
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Media:
A helicopter hit power lines and plunged into the Fox River in eastern Wisconsin, killing a man. https://t.co/tiQmW8QrHP pic.twitter.com/QavlVMsVRL
— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) 10 juin 2018
Fatal Wisonsin Wire Strike When Robinson R44 Repositions to Refuelhttps://t.co/o1lbbD8vsT#helicopter #accident #flightsadety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/rNl7wLdSdW
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) May 30, 2020
Fatal Wisonsin Wire Strike When Robinson R44 Repositions to Refuelhttps://t.co/o1lbbD8vsT#helicopter #accident #ntsb #flightsafety #aviationsafety pic.twitter.com/o6imLuN5s2
— Aerossurance (@Aerossurance) June 1, 2020
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 09-Jun-2018 22:03 | Iceman 29 | Added |
| 09-Jun-2018 22:14 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 09-Jun-2018 22:15 | Geno | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Location, Phase, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 09-Jun-2018 22:18 | Aerossurance | Updated [Aircraft type, Location, Narrative] |
| 09-Jun-2018 22:26 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Time, Source, Narrative, Photo, ] |
| 09-Jun-2018 22:27 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Embed code, Photo, ] |
| 10-Jun-2018 06:35 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Other fatalities, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 10-Jun-2018 07:20 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Registration, Cn, Operator, Source, Embed code] |
| 11-Jun-2018 05:57 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Source] |
| 11-Jun-2018 11:16 | Aerossurance | Updated [Phase, Narrative] |
| 19-Jun-2018 20:20 | Aerossurance | Updated [Time, Phase, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 11-Nov-2019 17:43 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Damage, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 11-Nov-2019 18:03 | harro | Updated [Operator, Destination airport, Source, Embed code, Narrative, Photo] |
| 30-May-2020 09:35 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 01-Jun-2020 08:02 | Aerossurance | Updated [Embed code] |
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