McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF N527SH

Summary

On 12 October 2009 at about 15:50 local time, a McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF registered N527SH, operated by Pacific RIM Helicopters LLC, was involved in an accident near Fossil, Oregon, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

12 October 2009 at 15:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Fossil, Oregon, United States

Coordinates

44.8531, -119.9378

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas Heli 369FF

Registration

N527SH

Category

Helicopter

Engines

1

Operator

Pacific RIM Helicopters LLC

Operating rule

Part 133: Rotorcraft Ext. Load

Purpose of flight

External Load

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Spray → Fossil

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10FA012

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from a power pole to which he was connecting wire-pulling ropes.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot of the helicopter was pulling a rope along a line of wood power poles, and placing the rope within the lowest traveler (pulley) attached to each power pole. The placement of the rope into the traveler required maneuvering the helicopter in close proximity to the pole, while the rope was attached to a long-line that was shorter than the distance from the top of the pole to the traveler that the rope was being placed in. The pilot had already placed the rope in the traveler on the first pole of the line, and had just completed the placement of the rope into the traveler on the second pole, when he began to maneuver the helicopter in order to proceed to the next pole. At the beginning of that maneuver, the pilot inadvertently allowed the helicopter to come close enough to the pole that he had just finished working on for its main rotor blades to come in contact with the pole. Immediately thereafter, all five of the main rotor blades separated from the helicopter, whereupon the helicopter's tail boom separated from its fuselage. The helicopter then fell to the down-sloping terrain near the base of the pole. No pre-accident anomalies were found with the helicopter's airframe, engine, or flight control system.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.