ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 286333
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| Date: | Tuesday 29 January 2008 |
| Time: | 20:45 LT |
| Type: |  Bell OH-58A |
| Owner/operator: | Farm Aviation Inc |
| Registration: | N902SF |
| MSN: | 40957 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1970 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 6472 hours |
| Engine model: | Allison T63 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Brawley, California -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Agricultural |
| Departure airport: | Brawley Airport, CA (BWC/KBWC) |
| Brawley Airport, CA (BWC/KBWC) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The pilot was spraying fields at night. He had just completed spraying a field and was climbing out to move to a second field when the helicopter collided with unmarked high tension electrical wires. He felt the impact and was momentarily blinded by the bright electrical flash. The pilot reported that the helicopter was out of control and after about 2 or 3 seconds, the helicopter impacted the ground. After impact, he unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the helicopter. He reported that the engine was still running and he continued to experience some blindness. The pilot walked a few steps away from the helicopter before his regained his vision. He looked back at the helicopter to make sure there was no fire, and then went back to it, and shut it down. The pilot stated that there were no preimpact mechanical problems with the helicopter. The pilot said he had been spraying in this area for years and was aware of the general location of the power lines in the area.
Probable Cause: The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from obstacles. A factor in the accident was the dark night conditions.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB LAX08CA054
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 20 January 2012 | N902SF | Farm Aviation Inc | 0 | Near Brawley, CA | |
sub |
| 9 November 2021 | N902SF | Farm Aviation | 0 | Holtville, CA | |
sub |
| VFR flight in IMC | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 03-Oct-2022 09:06 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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