Bell OH 58 N543SD

Summary

On 21 May 2016 at about 16:00 local time, a Bell OH 58 registered N543SD, operated by Wilbur-Ellis Co, was involved in an accident near Waitsburg, Washington, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 May 2016 at 16:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Waitsburg, Washington, United States

Coordinates

46.2375, -118.1392

Aircraft

Bell OH 58

Registration

N543SD

Category

Helicopter

Year built

1970

Engines

1

Operator

Wilbur-Ellis Co

Operating rule

Part 137: Agricultural

Purpose of flight

Aerial Application

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Waitsburg → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA16CA258

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from the power line during low reconnaissance flight, which resulted in a power line strike, loss of control, and a subsequent hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that he was conducting a low reconnaissance flight prior to helicopter aerial application operations; during the low reconnaissance, the helicopter came in contact with a power line which caught on the left skid. The pilot further reported that, while under tension, a section of the power line "snapped" into the main rotor system resulting in a loss of control. Subsequently, the pilot performed an emergency autorotation to a wheat field which resulted in a hard landing followed by main rotor contact with and consequent separation of the tail boom.  The fuselage and the tail boom were substantially damaged. The pilot reported there were no preimpact mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airframe or engine that would have precluded normal operation.  As a safety recommendation, the pilot reported that a more thorough high reconnaissance flight prior to the low reconnaissance flight would have decreased the probability of this accident occurring. 

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.