ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 236660
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| Date: | Tuesday 2 June 2020 |
| Time: | 12:50 |
| Type: |  Bell 206L-3 LongRanger III |
| Owner/operator: | PJ Helicopters, opf PG&E |
| Registration: | N65PJ |
| MSN: | 51127 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1985 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 16960 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce M250-C30P |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Fairfield, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | External load operation |
| Departure airport: | Fairfield, CA |
| Fairfield, CA | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
On June 2, 2020, about 1250 Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206L3 Helicopter, N65PJ, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Fairfield, California. The pilot and two passengers were fatally injured. The helicopter was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 133 rotorcraft external load operation.
The pilot of the helicopter was retrieving two linemen after they completed powerline work and transporting them back to the landing zone via longline. A witness stated that, after picking up the linemen, the helicopter ascended into the powerlines, impacting, and severing one line located about 210 ft above ground level. The helicopter subsequently impacted terrain, rolled downhill, and came to rest in a ravine.
Examination of the helicopter revealed no evidence of mechanical malfunctions or anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. The main rotor blades displayed evidence of blade contact, and the engine compressor impeller contained debris consistent with the engine operating at the time of ground impact. The circumstances of the accident are consistent with the pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from powerlines, which resulted in the main rotor impacting a wire and subsequent impact with terrain.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from powerlines while conducting external load operations, which resulted in the main rotor contacting a wire and a subsequent collision with terrain.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/fairfield/helicopter-crash-near-fairfield/103-201cd31e-1814-4b33-968a-fdf652792b98
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2020/06/02/pge-fairfield-helicopter-crash-lyon-soda-springs-road/amp/
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N65PJ
https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/101367/pdf
https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=101367
https://photos-e1.flightcdn.com/photos/retriever/0dfa3ad62860de47edbf8ff943f7c2c0e3ee30de (photo)
Location
Images:
Photo: NTSB
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Jun-2020 04:48 | Geno | Added |
| 03-Jun-2020 06:26 | Aerossurance | Updated [Source, Damage, Narrative] |
| 03-Jun-2020 06:50 | harro | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Operator, Source] |
| 03-Jun-2020 07:36 | RobertMB | Updated [Operator, Location, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Feb-2021 18:58 | harro | Updated [Nature, Source] |
| 02-Mar-2021 20:15 | harro | Updated [[Nature, Source]] |
| 07-May-2021 17:55 | rudy | Updated [Category] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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